There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. 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. So on that note, Dun & Bradstreet Holdings (NYSE:DNB) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

Understanding 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 Dun & Bradstreet Holdings:

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

0.025 = US$200m ÷ (US$9.0b - US$935m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Thus, Dun & Bradstreet Holdings has an ROCE of 2.5%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Professional Services industry average of 14%.

In the above chart we have measured Dun & Bradstreet Holdings' 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 Dun & Bradstreet Holdings .

How Are Returns Trending?

While in absolute terms it isn't a high ROCE, it's promising to see that it has been moving in the right direction. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 2.5%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 39%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

The Bottom Line

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Dun & Bradstreet Holdings has. And since the stock has fallen 32% over the last three years, there might be an opportunity here. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.

If you'd like to know more about Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, we've spotted 2 warning signs, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

While Dun & Bradstreet Holdings 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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