What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can 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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in PAX Global Technology's (HKG:327) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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

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 PAX Global Technology is:

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

0.18 = HK$1.3b ÷ (HK$9.0b - HK$1.6b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, PAX Global Technology has an ROCE of 18%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 6.1% generated by the Electronic industry.

Check out our latest analysis for PAX Global Technology

In the above chart we have measured PAX Global Technology's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering PAX Global Technology here for free.

So How Is PAX Global Technology's ROCE Trending?

The trends we've noticed at PAX Global Technology are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 18%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 76%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at PAX Global Technology thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Bottom Line

To sum it up, PAX Global Technology has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a solid 73% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for PAX Global Technology you'll probably want to know about.

While PAX Global Technology may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.