There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's 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. In light of that, when we looked at Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group (SZSE:002204) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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 Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group, this is the formula:

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

0.035 = CN¥311m ÷ (CN¥23b - CN¥14b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group has an ROCE of 3.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Machinery industry average of 6.1%.

Check out our latest analysis for Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

The returns on capital haven't changed much for Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group in recent years. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 3.5% and the business has deployed 32% 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.

On a side note, Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group's current liabilities are still rather high at 61% of total assets. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Bottom Line On Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group's ROCE

In summary, Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. Since the stock has gained an impressive 57% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

One final note, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group (including 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) .

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.