There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Johnson Electric Holdings (HKG:179) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Johnson Electric Holdings:

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

0.11 = US$300m ÷ (US$4.0b - US$1.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Johnson Electric Holdings has an ROCE of 11%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 7.0% generated by the Auto Components industry.

In the above chart we have measured Johnson Electric Holdings' 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 Johnson Electric Holdings for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

There hasn't been much to report for Johnson Electric Holdings' returns and its level of capital employed because both metrics have been steady for the past five years. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. With that in mind, unless investment picks up again in the future, we wouldn't expect Johnson Electric Holdings to be a multi-bagger going forward. With fewer investment opportunities, it makes sense that Johnson Electric Holdings has been paying out a decent 34% of its earnings to shareholders. Unless businesses have highly compelling growth opportunities, they'll typically return some money to shareholders.

The Key Takeaway

In a nutshell, Johnson Electric Holdings has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 38% in the last five years. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Johnson Electric Holdings has the makings of a multi-bagger.

One final note, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Johnson Electric Holdings (including 1 which is potentially serious) .

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.