If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, China Tianying (SZSE:000035) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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

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 China Tianying, this is the formula:

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

0.053 = CN¥1.1b ÷ (CN¥29b - CN¥8.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Therefore, China Tianying has an ROCE of 5.3%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 5.3%, it's still a low return by itself.

In the above chart we have measured China Tianying's 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 China Tianying .

The Trend Of ROCE

We're pretty happy with how the ROCE has been trending at China Tianying. The data shows that returns on capital have increased by 47% over the trailing five years. The company is now earning CN¥0.05 per dollar of capital employed. Interestingly, the business may be becoming more efficient because it's applying 30% less capital than it was five years ago. A business that's shrinking its asset base like this isn't usually typical of a soon to be multi-bagger company.

The Key Takeaway

In the end, China Tianying has proven it's capital allocation skills are good with those higher returns from less amount of capital. And since the stock has fallen 13% over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

Like most companies, China Tianying does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign 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.