What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after investigating Copa Holdings (NYSE:CPA), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

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 Copa Holdings is:

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

0.096 = US$301m ÷ (US$4.4b - US$1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Thus, Copa Holdings has an ROCE of 9.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Airlines industry average of 4.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Copa Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Copa Holdings' 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 report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Copa Holdings' ROCE Trending?

There hasn't been much to report for Copa Holdings' returns and its level of capital employed because both metrics have been steady for the past five years. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if Copa Holdings doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time.

What We Can Learn From Copa Holdings' ROCE

In summary, Copa Holdings isn't compounding its earnings but is generating stable returns on the same amount of capital employed. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 34% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

Like most companies, Copa Holdings does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

While Copa Holdings isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.