If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding 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 LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on LyondellBasell Industries is:

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

0.12 = US$3.6b ÷ (US$37b - US$7.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, LyondellBasell Industries has an ROCE of 12%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 10% generated by the Chemicals industry.

View our latest analysis for LyondellBasell Industries

In the above chart we have measured LyondellBasell Industries' 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 LyondellBasell Industries here for free.

So How Is LyondellBasell Industries' ROCE Trending?

In terms of LyondellBasell Industries' historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 26% over the last five years. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

The Bottom Line

We're a bit apprehensive about LyondellBasell Industries because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. However the stock has delivered a 53% return to shareholders over the last five years, so investors might be expecting the trends to turn around. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

On a separate note, we've found 3 warning signs for LyondellBasell Industries you'll probably want to know about.

While LyondellBasell Industries 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.