What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. However, after investigating Blue Moon Group Holdings (HKG:6993), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Blue Moon Group Holdings is:

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

0.05 = HK$504m ÷ (HK$12b - HK$1.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Blue Moon Group Holdings has an ROCE of 5.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Household Products industry average of 2.8%.

View our latest analysis for Blue Moon Group Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Blue Moon Group Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Blue Moon Group Holdings.

What Can We Tell From Blue Moon Group Holdings' ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Blue Moon Group Holdings doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 5.0% from 23% five years ago. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. 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.

On a side note, Blue Moon Group Holdings has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 15% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

What We Can Learn From Blue Moon Group Holdings' ROCE

From the above analysis, we find it rather worrisome that returns on capital and sales for Blue Moon Group Holdings have fallen, meanwhile the business is employing more capital than it was five years ago. It should come as no surprise then that the stock has fallen 50% over the last year, so it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Blue Moon Group Holdings that we think you should be aware of.

While Blue Moon Group Holdings 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.