To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. So on that note, Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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 Royal Gold is:

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

0.089 = US$297m ÷ (US$3.4b - US$71m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Royal Gold has an ROCE of 8.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Metals and Mining industry average of 9.9%.

Check out our latest analysis for Royal Gold

In the above chart we have measured Royal Gold's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Can We Tell From Royal Gold's ROCE Trend?

Royal Gold has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 8.9% which is a sight for sore eyes. In addition to that, Royal Gold is employing 26% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

The Bottom Line On Royal Gold's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Royal Gold has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 62% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

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

While Royal Gold 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.