There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Jilin Electric PowerLtd's (SZSE:000875) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Jilin Electric PowerLtd:

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

0.061 = CN¥3.5b ÷ (CN¥75b - CN¥18b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Jilin Electric PowerLtd has an ROCE of 6.1%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 5.6%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Jilin Electric PowerLtd compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Jilin Electric PowerLtd .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 6.1%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 157%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

On a related note, the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets has decreased to 24%, which basically reduces it's funding from the likes of short-term creditors or suppliers. This tells us that Jilin Electric PowerLtd has grown its returns without a reliance on increasing their current liabilities, which we're very happy with.

In Conclusion...

All in all, it's terrific to see that Jilin Electric PowerLtd is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has only returned 39% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. Given that, we'd look further into this stock in case it has more traits that could make it multiply in the long term.

Jilin Electric PowerLtd does come with some risks though, we found 2 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 1 of those is potentially serious...

While Jilin Electric PowerLtd 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.