If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing 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. So on that note, Modine Manufacturing (NYSE:MOD) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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. The formula for this calculation on Modine Manufacturing is:

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

0.11 = US$106m ÷ (US$1.4b - US$496m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Therefore, Modine Manufacturing has an ROCE of 11%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Auto Components industry average of 10.0%.

See our latest analysis for Modine Manufacturing

In the above chart we have measured Modine Manufacturing's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Modine Manufacturing here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Modine Manufacturing is showing promise given that its ROCE is trending up and to the right. The figures show that over the last five years, ROCE has grown 46% whilst employing roughly the same amount of capital. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. It's worth looking deeper into this though because while it's great that the business is more efficient, it might also mean that going forward the areas to invest internally for the organic growth are lacking.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, we're delighted to see that Modine Manufacturing has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Considering the stock has delivered 9.0% to its stockholders over the last five years, it may be fair to think that investors aren't fully aware of the promising trends yet. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.

Modine Manufacturing does have some risks, we noticed 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

While Modine Manufacturing 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.