If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of IDT (NYSE:IDT) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for IDT:

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

0.26 = US$69m ÷ (US$550m - US$279m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to July 2024).

Thus, IDT has an ROCE of 26%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 8.4% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for IDT's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you'd like to look at how IDT has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of IDT's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at IDT. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 26%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 396% more capital is being employed now too. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

One more thing to note, IDT has decreased current liabilities to 51% of total assets over this period, which effectively reduces the amount of funding from suppliers or short-term creditors. So this improvement in ROCE has come from the business' underlying economics, which is great to see. However, current liabilities are still at a pretty high level, so just be aware that this can bring with it some risks.

The Bottom Line On IDT's ROCE

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what IDT has. Since the stock has returned a staggering 684% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

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

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks 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.