What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. In light of that, when we looked at Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group (SHSE:600989) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group:

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

0.11 = CN¥5.8b ÷ (CN¥66b - CN¥14b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group has an ROCE of 11%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Chemicals industry average of 5.5% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group

In the above chart we have measured Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group'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 Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 26% 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.

What We Can Learn From Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group's ROCE

In summary, Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group 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 39% over the last three years, investors must think there's better things to come. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

While Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group 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.