If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. Having said that, from a first glance at WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd (SHSE:603416) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding 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 WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd is:

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

0.073 = CN¥155m ÷ (CN¥3.0b - CN¥895m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd has an ROCE of 7.3%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 5.0% generated by the Electronic industry, it's much better.

View our latest analysis for WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd

In the above chart we have measured WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd's 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 WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd.

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 15%, but since then they've fallen to 7.3%. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

While on the subject, we noticed that the ratio of current liabilities to total assets has risen to 30%, which has impacted the ROCE. Without this increase, it's likely that ROCE would be even lower than 7.3%. Keep an eye on this ratio, because the business could encounter some new risks if this metric gets too high.

The Bottom Line

To conclude, we've found that WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Since the stock has gained an impressive 61% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

While WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform.

While WuXi Xinje ElectricLtd 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.

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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.