What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? 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. So when we looked at the ROCE trend of United States Lime & Minerals (NASDAQ:USLM) we really liked what we saw.

What Is 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. To calculate this metric for United States Lime & Minerals, this is the formula:

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

0.21 = US$98m ÷ (US$484m - US$14m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Thus, United States Lime & Minerals has an ROCE of 21%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 13% earned by companies in a similar industry.

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'd like to look at how United States Lime & Minerals has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of United States Lime & Minerals' past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Does the ROCE Trend For United States Lime & Minerals Tell Us?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at United States Lime & Minerals. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 21%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 87%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

The Key Takeaway

All in all, it's terrific to see that United States Lime & Minerals is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And a remarkable 471% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing United States Lime & Minerals that you might find interesting.

United States Lime & Minerals is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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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.