To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Glarun TechnologyLtd's (SHSE:600562) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Understanding 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 Glarun TechnologyLtd:

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

0.13 = CN¥685m ÷ (CN¥8.5b - CN¥3.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

So, Glarun TechnologyLtd has an ROCE of 13%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 5.2% generated by the Communications industry.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Glarun TechnologyLtd 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 analyst report for Glarun TechnologyLtd .

How Are Returns Trending?

We like the trends that we're seeing from Glarun TechnologyLtd. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 13%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 204%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, it's great to see that Glarun TechnologyLtd can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And since the stock has fallen 18% over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Glarun TechnologyLtd and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.