There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) so let's look a bit deeper.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 Academy Sports and Outdoors, this is the formula:

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

0.17 = US$633m ÷ (US$4.9b - US$1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to August 2024).

Thus, Academy Sports and Outdoors has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 12% generated by the Specialty Retail industry.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Academy Sports and Outdoors compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Academy Sports and Outdoors .

What Does the ROCE Trend For Academy Sports and Outdoors Tell Us?

The trends we've noticed at Academy Sports and Outdoors are quite reassuring. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 17%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 23%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Academy Sports and Outdoors thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

Our Take On Academy Sports and Outdoors' ROCE

To sum it up, Academy Sports and Outdoors has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. And with a respectable 27% awarded to those who held the stock over the last three years, you could argue that these developments are starting to get the attention they deserve. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

On the other side of ROCE, we have to consider valuation. That's why we have a FREE intrinsic value estimation for ASO on our platform that is definitely worth checking out.

While Academy Sports and Outdoors 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.