Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? 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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Full Truck Alliance (NYSE:YMM) so let's look a bit deeper.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Full Truck Alliance:

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

0.03 = CN¥1.1b ÷ (CN¥39b - CN¥3.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2023).

Thus, Full Truck Alliance has an ROCE of 3.0%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Transportation industry average of 7.4%.

In the above chart we have measured Full Truck Alliance's 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 Full Truck Alliance .

So How Is Full Truck Alliance's ROCE Trending?

The fact that Full Truck Alliance is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. About four years ago the company was generating losses but things have turned around because it's now earning 3.0% on its capital. In addition to that, Full Truck Alliance is employing 146% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. This can tell us that the company has plenty of reinvestment opportunities that are able to generate higher returns.

The Key Takeaway

Long story short, we're delighted to see that Full Truck Alliance's reinvestment activities have paid off and the company is now profitable. Since the stock has returned a solid 32% to shareholders over the last year, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue.

While Full Truck Alliance looks impressive, no company is worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic for YMM helps visualize whether it is currently trading for a fair price.

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.