If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. However, after investigating Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd (SHSE:603297), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

What Is 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 Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd:

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

0.086 = CN¥153m ÷ (CN¥2.0b - CN¥208m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd has an ROCE of 8.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Electronic industry average of 5.0%.

Check out our latest analysis for Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd 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

Unfortunately, the trend isn't great with ROCE falling from 11% five years ago, while capital employed has grown 76%. That being said, Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd raised some capital prior to their latest results being released, so that could partly explain the increase in capital employed. It's unlikely that all of the funds raised have been put to work yet, so as a consequence Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd might not have received a full period of earnings contribution from it.

In Conclusion...

In summary, Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Investors must think there's better things to come because the stock has knocked it out of the park, delivering a 216% gain to shareholders who have held over the last five years. However, unless these underlying trends turn more positive, we wouldn't get our hopes up too high.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Ningbo Yongxin OpticsLtd that we think you should be aware of.

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.