There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So when we looked at Wix.com (NASDAQ:WIX) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

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

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Wix.com, this is the formula:

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

0.027 = US$24m ÷ (US$1.7b - US$813m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Therefore, Wix.com has an ROCE of 2.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the IT industry average of 11%.

In the above chart we have measured Wix.com'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 Wix.com for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Wix.com has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 2.7% which is a sight for sore eyes. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Wix.com is utilizing 56% more capital than it was five years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

Another thing to note, Wix.com has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 48%. 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. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

What We Can Learn From Wix.com's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Wix.com has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. Considering the stock has delivered 17% to its stockholders over the last five years, it may be fair to think that investors aren't fully aware of the promising trends yet. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Wix.com, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should be aware of.

While Wix.com 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.