What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So, when we ran our eye over Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd's (SHSE:600546) trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd is:

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

0.23 = CN¥7.4b ÷ (CN¥43b - CN¥11b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Therefore, Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd has an ROCE of 23%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 6.1% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd deserves to be commended in regards to it's returns. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 23% and the business has deployed 75% more capital into its operations. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger.

On a side note, Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd has done well to reduce current liabilities to 25% of total assets over the last five years. This can eliminate some of the risks inherent in the operations because the business has less outstanding obligations to their suppliers and or short-term creditors than they did previously.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, we're delighted to see that Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd has been compounding returns by reinvesting at consistently high rates of return, as these are common traits of a multi-bagger. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 245% return over the last five years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

Like most companies, Shanxi Coal International Energy GroupLtd does come with some risks, and we've found 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com