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. However, after investigating Fujian Nanping Sun Cable (SZSE:002300), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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. To calculate this metric for Fujian Nanping Sun Cable, this is the formula:

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

0.091 = CN¥318m ÷ (CN¥6.6b - CN¥3.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Fujian Nanping Sun Cable has an ROCE of 9.1%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 6.4% generated by the Electrical industry, it's much better.

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Fujian Nanping Sun Cable's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings , check out these free graphs detailing revenue and cash flow performance of Fujian Nanping Sun Cable.

What Can We Tell From Fujian Nanping Sun Cable's ROCE Trend?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Fujian Nanping Sun Cable, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 12% over the last five years. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

On a related note, Fujian Nanping Sun Cable has decreased its current liabilities to 47% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money. Keep in mind 47% is still pretty high, so those risks are still somewhat prevalent.

Our Take On Fujian Nanping Sun Cable's ROCE

In summary, Fujian Nanping Sun Cable is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Additionally, the stock's total return to shareholders over the last five years has been flat, which isn't too surprising. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Fujian Nanping Sun Cable (at least 2 which are potentially serious) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

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.