If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So, when we ran our eye over WD-40's (NASDAQ:WDFC) trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

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. To calculate this metric for WD-40, this is the formula:

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

0.28 = US$94m ÷ (US$442m - US$110m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2024).

So, WD-40 has an ROCE of 28%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Household Products industry average of 20%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for WD-40 compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering WD-40 for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

WD-40 deserves to be commended in regards to it's returns. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 28% and the business has deployed 42% more capital into its operations. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger.

The Bottom Line On WD-40's ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that WD-40 has been compounding returns by reinvesting at consistently high rates of return, as these are common traits of a multi-bagger. And since the stock has risen strongly over the last five years, it appears the market might expect this trend to continue. So even though the stock might be more "expensive" than it was before, we think the strong fundamentals warrant this stock for further research.

While WD-40 looks impressive, no company is worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic for WDFC helps visualize whether it is currently trading for a fair price.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning 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.