Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. 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. 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 China New Higher Education Group's (HKG:2001) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

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

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 China New Higher Education Group is:

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

0.12 = CN¥674m ÷ (CN¥9.2b - CN¥3.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to August 2023).

So, China New Higher Education Group has an ROCE of 12%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Consumer Services industry average of 11%.

In the above chart we have measured China New Higher Education Group'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 China New Higher Education Group for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

China New Higher Education Group is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 12%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 95% more capital is being employed now too. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

Our Take On China New Higher Education Group's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that China New Higher Education Group 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. Given the stock has declined 30% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

Like most companies, China New Higher Education Group does come with some risks, and we've found 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

While China New Higher Education Group 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.