Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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. To calculate this metric for Harley-Davidson, this is the formula:

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

0.089 = US$779m ÷ (US$12b - US$3.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

So, Harley-Davidson has an ROCE of 8.9%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 8.9%, it's still a low return by itself.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Harley-Davidson compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Harley-Davidson.

The Trend Of ROCE

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Harley-Davidson doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 8.9% from 12% five years ago. However it looks like Harley-Davidson might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

What We Can Learn From Harley-Davidson's ROCE

In summary, Harley-Davidson is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 5.9% to shareholders over the last five years. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Harley-Davidson (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should know about.

While Harley-Davidson isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.