If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, 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. Having said that, from a first glance at Guangxi Liugong Machinery (SZSE:000528) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

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

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 Guangxi Liugong Machinery is:

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

0.047 = CN¥1.1b ÷ (CN¥46b - CN¥22b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Therefore, Guangxi Liugong Machinery has an ROCE of 4.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Machinery industry average of 6.4%.

See our latest analysis for Guangxi Liugong Machinery

In the above chart we have measured Guangxi Liugong Machinery'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 Guangxi Liugong Machinery here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of Guangxi Liugong Machinery's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 7.6% 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's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Guangxi Liugong Machinery has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 48%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Bottom Line On Guangxi Liugong Machinery's ROCE

To conclude, we've found that Guangxi Liugong Machinery is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 5.6% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. So if you're looking for a multi-bagger, the underlying trends indicate you may have better chances elsewhere.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Guangxi Liugong Machinery you'll probably want to know about.

While Guangxi Liugong Machinery 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.