Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. 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 Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Alliant Energy, this is the formula:

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

0.047 = US$892m ÷ (US$21b - US$1.9b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Alliant Energy has an ROCE of 4.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Electric Utilities industry average of 4.4%.

View our latest analysis for Alliant Energy

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Alliant Energy compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Alliant Energy here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

There are better returns on capital out there than what we're seeing at Alliant Energy. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 4.7% and the business has deployed 38% more capital into its operations. 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.

The Bottom Line On Alliant Energy's ROCE

In conclusion, Alliant Energy has been investing more capital into the business, but returns on that capital haven't increased. And with the stock having returned a mere 29% in the last five years to shareholders, you could argue that they're aware of these lackluster trends. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

Alliant Energy does come with some risks though, we found 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

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.