What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? 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. Although, when we looked at ZwsoftLtd (SHSE:688083), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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

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. The formula for this calculation on ZwsoftLtd is:

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

0.02 = CN¥57m ÷ (CN¥3.1b - CN¥296m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Thus, ZwsoftLtd has an ROCE of 2.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Software industry average of 3.0%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for ZwsoftLtd 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 ZwsoftLtd .

What Can We Tell From ZwsoftLtd's ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at ZwsoftLtd doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 2.0% from 30% five years ago. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

On a side note, ZwsoftLtd has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 9.5% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

Our Take On ZwsoftLtd's ROCE

Even though returns on capital have fallen in the short term, we find it promising that revenue and capital employed have both increased for ZwsoftLtd. Despite these promising trends, the stock has collapsed 73% over the last three years, so there could be other factors hurting the company's prospects. Regardless, reinvestment can pay off in the long run, so we think astute investors may want to look further into this stock.

ZwsoftLtd could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for 688083 on our platform quite valuable.

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.