To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing 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. Having said that, from a first glance at China Science Publishing & Media (SHSE:601858) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for China Science Publishing & Media, this is the formula:

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

0.063 = CN¥344m ÷ (CN¥7.0b - CN¥1.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Thus, China Science Publishing & Media has an ROCE of 6.3%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 5.2% generated by the Media industry, it's much better.

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for China Science Publishing & Media's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings , check out these free graphs detailing revenue and cash flow performance of China Science Publishing & Media.

What Can We Tell From China Science Publishing & Media's ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at China Science Publishing & Media doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 6.3% from 9.0% five years ago. However it looks like China Science Publishing & Media might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line On China Science Publishing & Media's ROCE

In summary, China Science Publishing & Media is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Since the stock has gained an impressive 73% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for China Science Publishing & Media you'll probably want to know about.

While China Science Publishing & Media 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.