Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. Although, when we looked at Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd (SZSE:300618), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is:

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

0.057 = CN¥326m ÷ (CN¥8.7b - CN¥3.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Thus, Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd has an ROCE of 5.7%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 7.1% average generated by the Metals and Mining industry.

In the above chart we have measured Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd .

So How Is Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's ROCE Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 7.9% over the last five years. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line

To conclude, we've found that Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Since the stock has declined 63% over the last five years, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

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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.