What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Although, when we looked at Shengyi TechnologyLtd (SHSE:600183), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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. To calculate this metric for Shengyi TechnologyLtd, this is the formula:

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

0.072 = CN¥1.2b ÷ (CN¥24b - CN¥7.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Shengyi TechnologyLtd has an ROCE of 7.2%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 5.3% generated by the Electronic industry, it's much better.

View our latest analysis for Shengyi TechnologyLtd

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Shengyi TechnologyLtd 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

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Shengyi TechnologyLtd doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 7.2% from 15% five years ago. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

The Bottom Line On Shengyi TechnologyLtd's ROCE

We're a bit apprehensive about Shengyi TechnologyLtd because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. But investors must be expecting an improvement of sorts because over the last five yearsthe stock has delivered a respectable 87% return. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Shengyi TechnologyLtd that you might find interesting.

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.