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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Enerpac Tool Group's (NYSE:EPAC) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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. To calculate this metric for Enerpac Tool Group, this is the formula:

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

0.20 = US$129m ÷ (US$766m - US$127m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to November 2023).

Therefore, Enerpac Tool Group has an ROCE of 20%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 12% earned by companies in a similar industry.

In the above chart we have measured Enerpac Tool Group'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.

So How Is Enerpac Tool Group's ROCE Trending?

You'd find it hard not to be impressed with the ROCE trend at Enerpac Tool Group. The figures show that over the last five years, returns on capital have grown by 292%. The company is now earning US$0.2 per dollar of capital employed. Interestingly, the business may be becoming more efficient because it's applying 43% less capital than it was five years ago. Enerpac Tool Group may be selling some assets so it's worth investigating if the business has plans for future investments to increase returns further still.

Our Take On Enerpac Tool Group's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Enerpac Tool Group has been able to turn things around and earn higher returns on lower amounts of capital. Since the stock has only returned 33% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Enerpac Tool Group that you might find interesting.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning 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.