If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. So, when we ran our eye over Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd's (SHSE:601689) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

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

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd:

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

0.12 = CN¥2.2b ÷ (CN¥28b - CN¥10b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd has an ROCE of 12%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 5.9% generated by the Auto Components industry.

See our latest analysis for Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd

In the above chart we have measured Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd.

The Trend Of ROCE

While the current returns on capital are decent, they haven't changed much. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 12% and the business has deployed 151% more capital into its operations. 12% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd has consistently earned this amount. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

The Key Takeaway

The main thing to remember is that Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd has proven its ability to continually reinvest at respectable rates of return. And long term investors would be thrilled with the 502% return they've received over the last five years. So while the positive underlying trends may be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd (at least 1 which can't be ignored) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

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.