If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after investigating Insteel Industries (NYSE:IIIN), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

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 Insteel Industries, this is the formula:

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

0.067 = US$24m ÷ (US$391m - US$33m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Thus, Insteel Industries has an ROCE of 6.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Building industry average of 17%.

In the above chart we have measured Insteel Industries' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Insteel Industries .

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Insteel Industries, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 15% over the last five years. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

What We Can Learn From Insteel Industries' ROCE

In summary, we're somewhat concerned by Insteel Industries' diminishing returns on increasing amounts of capital. The market must be rosy on the stock's future because even though the underlying trends aren't too encouraging, the stock has soared 142%. Regardless, we don't feel too comfortable with the fundamentals so we'd be steering clear of this stock for now.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Insteel Industries that you might find interesting.

While Insteel Industries may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.