To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount 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. So, when we ran our eye over CNOOC Energy Technology & Services' (SHSE:600968) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

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. The formula for this calculation on CNOOC Energy Technology & Services is:

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

0.10 = CN¥2.7b ÷ (CN¥41b - CN¥14b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, CNOOC Energy Technology & Services has an ROCE of 10%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Energy Services industry average of 6.1% it's much better.

View our latest analysis for CNOOC Energy Technology & Services

Above you can see how the current ROCE for CNOOC Energy Technology & Services 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.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 10% and the business has deployed 66% more capital into its operations. 10% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that CNOOC Energy Technology & Services has consistently earned this amount. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

The Key Takeaway

In the end, CNOOC Energy Technology & Services has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 42% to shareholders over the last three years. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with CNOOC Energy Technology & Services and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and 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.