If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at NetLink NBN Trust (SGX:CJLU) so let's look a bit deeper.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for NetLink NBN Trust, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.033 = S$126m ÷ (S$3.9b - S$137m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, NetLink NBN Trust has an ROCE of 3.3%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Telecom industry average of 12%.

In the above chart we have measured NetLink NBN Trust's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering NetLink NBN Trust for free.

What Can We Tell From NetLink NBN Trust's ROCE Trend?

While there are companies with higher returns on capital out there, we still find the trend at NetLink NBN Trust promising. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 56% in that same time. So it's likely that the business is now reaping the full benefits of its past investments, since the capital employed hasn't changed considerably. The company is doing well in that sense, and it's worth investigating what the management team has planned for long term growth prospects.

The Bottom Line On NetLink NBN Trust's ROCE

To sum it up, NetLink NBN Trust is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 28% to shareholders. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

NetLink NBN Trust does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for NetLink NBN Trust that you might be interested in.

While NetLink NBN Trust may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.