If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. So on that note, Trina Solar (SHSE:688599) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

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 Trina Solar is:

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

0.12 = CN¥7.0b ÷ (CN¥128b - CN¥71b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

So, Trina Solar has an ROCE of 12%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 4.9% generated by the Semiconductor industry.

In the above chart we have measured Trina Solar'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 Trina Solar for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For Trina Solar Tell Us?

The trends we've noticed at Trina Solar are quite reassuring. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 12%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 269%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Trina Solar has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 56%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Key Takeaway

All in all, it's terrific to see that Trina Solar is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 28% return over the last three years. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

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

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.