If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding 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. Although, when we looked at Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation (SZSE:301312), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation:

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

0.035 = CN¥40m ÷ (CN¥1.3b - CN¥113m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation has an ROCE of 3.5%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Electronic industry average of 5.0%.

View our latest analysis for Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation

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 Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

So How Is Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation's ROCE Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last four years, returns on capital have decreased to 3.5% from 46% four years ago. 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.

On a related note, Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation has decreased its current liabilities to 8.9% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

The Bottom Line

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Additionally, the stock's total return to shareholders over the last year has been flat, which isn't too surprising. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

If you'd like to know more about Shenzhen iN-Cube Automation, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 1 of them is significant.

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.