There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at Huaxin Cement (SHSE:600801), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Huaxin Cement, this is the formula:

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

0.088 = CN¥4.4b ÷ (CN¥66b - CN¥17b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Huaxin Cement has an ROCE of 8.8%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Basic Materials industry average of 6.4%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Huaxin Cement compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Huaxin Cement .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Huaxin Cement doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 29% over the last five years. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

What We Can Learn From Huaxin Cement's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Huaxin Cement's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 15% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Huaxin Cement that you might find interesting.

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.