What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) so let's look a bit deeper.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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 Valmont Industries is:

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

0.17 = US$485m ÷ (US$3.5b - US$675m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, Valmont Industries has an ROCE of 17%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 11% generated by the Construction industry.

In the above chart we have measured Valmont Industries' 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 analyst report for Valmont Industries .

So How Is Valmont Industries' ROCE Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Valmont Industries. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 17%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 27%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

The Bottom Line On Valmont Industries' ROCE

All in all, it's terrific to see that Valmont Industries is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And a remarkable 115% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Valmont Industries can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Valmont Industries, we've discovered 4 warning signs that you should be aware of.

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.

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