If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after investigating Guizhou Aviation Technical Development (SHSE:688239), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Guizhou Aviation Technical Development:

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

0.07 = CN¥203m ÷ (CN¥4.3b - CN¥1.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Therefore, Guizhou Aviation Technical Development has an ROCE of 7.0%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 4.4% generated by the Aerospace & Defense industry, it's much better.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Guizhou Aviation Technical Development compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Guizhou Aviation Technical Development .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Guizhou Aviation Technical Development's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 9.2%, but since then they've fallen to 7.0%. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

On a related note, Guizhou Aviation Technical Development has decreased its current liabilities to 32% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

The Bottom Line

In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Guizhou Aviation Technical Development's diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. Long term shareholders who've owned the stock over the last three years have experienced a 37% depreciation in their investment, so it appears the market might not like these trends either. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you want to continue researching Guizhou Aviation Technical Development, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

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.