If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Ningbo BirdLtd (SHSE:600130) so let's look a bit deeper.

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

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Ningbo BirdLtd is:

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

0.005 = CN¥5.3m ÷ (CN¥1.2b - CN¥128m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

So, Ningbo BirdLtd has an ROCE of 0.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Tech industry average of 6.0%.

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Ningbo BirdLtd's past further, check out this free graph covering Ningbo BirdLtd's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

So How Is Ningbo BirdLtd's ROCE Trending?

Ningbo BirdLtd has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. Shareholders would no doubt be pleased with this because the business was loss-making five years ago but is is now generating 0.5% on its capital. Not only that, but the company is utilizing 21% more capital than before, but that's to be expected from a company trying to break into profitability. This can tell us that the company has plenty of reinvestment opportunities that are able to generate higher returns.

The Bottom Line

Overall, Ningbo BirdLtd gets a big tick from us thanks in most part to the fact that it is now profitable and is reinvesting in its business. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 33% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Ningbo BirdLtd, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

While Ningbo BirdLtd 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.