If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing 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. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) so let's look a bit deeper.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Pinterest:

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

0.072 = US$242m ÷ (US$3.7b - US$368m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

So, Pinterest has an ROCE of 7.2%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 6.3% average generated by the Interactive Media and Services industry.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Pinterest compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Pinterest .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

The fact that Pinterest is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 7.2% which is a sight for sore eyes. In addition to that, Pinterest is employing 50% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

The Bottom Line On Pinterest's ROCE

Long story short, we're delighted to see that Pinterest's reinvestment activities have paid off and the company is now profitable. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 28% to shareholders. Given that, we'd look further into this stock in case it has more traits that could make it multiply in the long term.

Pinterest does have some risks though, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Pinterest that you might be interested in.

While Pinterest 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.