If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. Having said that, from a first glance at Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Service Corporation International, this is the formula:

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

0.057 = US$913m ÷ (US$17b - US$743m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Service Corporation International has an ROCE of 5.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Consumer Services industry average of 7.6%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Service Corporation International compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Service Corporation International .

So How Is Service Corporation International's ROCE Trending?

There are better returns on capital out there than what we're seeing at Service Corporation International. The company has consistently earned 5.7% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 26% in that time. This poor ROCE doesn't inspire confidence right now, and with the increase in capital employed, it's evident that the business isn't deploying the funds into high return investments.

In Conclusion...

As we've seen above, Service Corporation International's returns on capital haven't increased but it is reinvesting in the business. Since the stock has gained an impressive 80% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

One more thing: We've identified 2 warning signs with Service Corporation International (at least 1 which shouldn't be ignored) , 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.