Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Having said that, from a first glance at Wangli Security & Surveillance Product (SHSE:605268) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on Wangli Security & Surveillance Product is:

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

0.042 = CN¥74m ÷ (CN¥4.0b - CN¥2.2b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Therefore, Wangli Security & Surveillance Product has an ROCE of 4.2%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Building industry average of 6.9%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Wangli Security & Surveillance Product compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Wangli Security & Surveillance Product .

The Trend Of ROCE

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Wangli Security & Surveillance Product, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 20%, but since then they've fallen to 4.2%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

Another thing to note, Wangli Security & Surveillance Product has a high ratio of current liabilities to total assets of 56%. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Key Takeaway

To conclude, we've found that Wangli Security & Surveillance Product is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Since the stock has declined 55% over the last three years, investors may not be too optimistic on this trend improving either. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for Wangli Security & Surveillance Product you'll probably want to know about.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and 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.