If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. In light of that, when we looked at Jiangsu Libert (SHSE:605167) 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. The formula for this calculation on Jiangsu Libert is:

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

0.13 = CN¥227m ÷ (CN¥2.8b - CN¥1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Thus, Jiangsu Libert has an ROCE of 13%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Construction industry average of 7.0% it's much better.

In the above chart we have measured Jiangsu Libert's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Jiangsu Libert .

How Are Returns Trending?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Jiangsu Libert doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 19% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

On a side note, Jiangsu Libert has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 38% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

The Bottom Line On Jiangsu Libert's ROCE

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Jiangsu Libert is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. Furthermore the stock has climbed 23% over the last year, it would appear that investors are upbeat about the future. So should these growth trends continue, we'd be optimistic on the stock going forward.

Jiangsu Libert does have some risks though, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Jiangsu Libert that you might be interested in.

While Jiangsu Libert may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.