Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. 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 GUOMAI Culture & Media (SZSE:301052) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on GUOMAI Culture & Media is:

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

0.058 = CN¥39m ÷ (CN¥776m - CN¥97m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, GUOMAI Culture & Media has an ROCE of 5.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Media industry average of 5.1%.

Check out our latest analysis for GUOMAI Culture & Media

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating GUOMAI Culture & Media's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Does the ROCE Trend For GUOMAI Culture & Media Tell Us?

In terms of GUOMAI Culture & Media's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last five years. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

Our Take On GUOMAI Culture & Media's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by GUOMAI Culture & Media's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 89% over the last year. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with GUOMAI Culture & Media and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.