What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. In light of that, when we looked at China Publishing & Media Holdings (SHSE:601949) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on China Publishing & Media Holdings is:

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

0.051 = CN¥551m ÷ (CN¥15b - CN¥4.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

So, China Publishing & Media Holdings has an ROCE of 5.1%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 4.9%.

See our latest analysis for China Publishing & Media Holdings

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for China Publishing & Media Holdings' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how China Publishing & Media Holdings has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

There are better returns on capital out there than what we're seeing at China Publishing & Media Holdings. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 5.1% and the business has deployed 35% more capital into its operations. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.

What We Can Learn From China Publishing & Media Holdings' ROCE

In summary, China Publishing & Media Holdings has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. Yet to long term shareholders the stock has gifted them an incredible 110% return in the last five years, so the market appears to be rosy about its future. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

One more thing to note, we've identified 4 warning signs with China Publishing & Media Holdings and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.