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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Ergo, when we looked at the ROCE trends at Allison Transmission Holdings (NYSE:ALSN), we liked what we saw.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Allison Transmission Holdings is:

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

0.21 = US$965m ÷ (US$5.2b - US$511m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Allison Transmission Holdings has an ROCE of 21%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Machinery industry average of 13%.

In the above chart we have measured Allison Transmission Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Allison Transmission Holdings .

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of Allison Transmission Holdings' history of ROCE, it's quite impressive. The company has employed 20% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 21%. 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

Allison Transmission Holdings has demonstrated its proficiency by generating high returns on increasing amounts of capital employed, which we're thrilled about. And since the stock has risen strongly over the last five years, it appears the market might expect this trend to continue. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.

One more thing to note, we've identified 1 warning sign with Allison Transmission Holdings and understanding this should be part of your investment process.

Allison Transmission Holdings is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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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.