There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think CGN Mining (HKG:1164) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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. The formula for this calculation on CGN Mining is:

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

0.018 = HK$90m ÷ (HK$7.1b - HK$2.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Therefore, CGN Mining has an ROCE of 1.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Oil and Gas industry average of 6.7%.

Check out our latest analysis for CGN Mining

Above you can see how the current ROCE for CGN Mining 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 report on analyst forecasts for the company.

The Trend Of ROCE

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at CGN Mining doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 1.8% from 7.9% five years ago. However it looks like CGN Mining might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

While on the subject, we noticed that the ratio of current liabilities to total assets has risen to 29%, which has impacted the ROCE. Without this increase, it's likely that ROCE would be even lower than 1.8%. Keep an eye on this ratio, because the business could encounter some new risks if this metric gets too high.

The Key Takeaway

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by CGN Mining's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Yet to long term shareholders the stock has gifted them an incredible 373% return in the last five years, so the market appears to be rosy about its future. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

One final note, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with CGN Mining (including 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) .

While CGN Mining isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.