When we're researching a company, it's sometimes hard to find the warning signs, but there are some financial metrics that can help spot trouble early. A business that's potentially in decline often shows two trends, a return on capital employed (ROCE) that's declining, and a base of capital employed that's also declining. This combination can tell you that not only is the company investing less, it's earning less on what it does invest. On that note, looking into Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd (SHSE:603328), we weren't too upbeat about how things were going.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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. To calculate this metric for Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd, this is the formula:

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

0.089 = CN¥340m ÷ (CN¥5.1b - CN¥1.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd has an ROCE of 8.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Electronic industry average of 5.0%.

View our latest analysis for Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd

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 Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

The Trend Of ROCE

We are a bit worried about the trend of returns on capital at Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd. Unfortunately the returns on capital have diminished from the 16% that they were earning five years ago. And on the capital employed front, the business is utilizing roughly the same amount of capital as it was back then. Since returns are falling and the business has the same amount of assets employed, this can suggest it's a mature business that hasn't had much growth in the last five years. If these trends continue, we wouldn't expect Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd to turn into a multi-bagger.

What We Can Learn From Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd's ROCE

All in all, the lower returns from the same amount of capital employed aren't exactly signs of a compounding machine. And long term shareholders have watched their investments stay flat over the last five years. With underlying trends that aren't great in these areas, we'd consider looking elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd we've found 2 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While Guangdong Ellington Electronics TechnologyLtd may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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.