Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' (HKG:6078) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Hygeia Healthcare Holdings:

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

0.10 = CN¥778m ÷ (CN¥9.0b - CN¥1.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Hygeia Healthcare Holdings has an ROCE of 10%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Healthcare industry average of 11%.

View our latest analysis for Hygeia Healthcare Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. 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

Hygeia Healthcare Holdings is displaying some positive trends. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 10%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 408%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

Our Take On Hygeia Healthcare Holdings' ROCE

To sum it up, Hygeia Healthcare Holdings has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Given the stock has declined 12% in the last three years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

If you want to continue researching Hygeia Healthcare Holdings, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

While Hygeia Healthcare 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.