If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding 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. With that in mind, the ROCE of Comfort Systems USA (NYSE:FIX) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Comfort Systems USA:

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

0.31 = US$580m ÷ (US$4.2b - US$2.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Comfort Systems USA has an ROCE of 31%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 11% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Comfort Systems USA 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 Comfort Systems USA .

What Does the ROCE Trend For Comfort Systems USA Tell Us?

Comfort Systems USA is displaying some positive trends. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 31%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 105% more capital is being employed now too. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. Essentially the business now has suppliers or short-term creditors funding about 55% of its operations, which isn't ideal. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.

What We Can Learn From Comfort Systems USA's ROCE

To sum it up, Comfort Systems USA has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. And a remarkable 711% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Comfort Systems USA can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Comfort Systems USA, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high 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.