If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. With that in mind, the ROCE of Powell Industries (NASDAQ:POWL) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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 Powell Industries:

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

0.29 = US$117m ÷ (US$850m - US$442m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, Powell Industries has an ROCE of 29%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 14% earned by companies in a similar industry.

In the above chart we have measured Powell Industries' 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 analyst report for Powell Industries .

What Can We Tell From Powell Industries' ROCE Trend?

The trends we've noticed at Powell Industries are quite reassuring. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 29%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 34%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Powell Industries thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. Essentially the business now has suppliers or short-term creditors funding about 52% of its operations, which isn't ideal. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.

What We Can Learn From Powell Industries' ROCE

To sum it up, Powell Industries has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Powell Industries can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

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

Powell Industries is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.