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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Emerald Holding's (NYSE:EEX) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on Emerald Holding is:

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

0.081 = US$66m ÷ (US$1.1b - US$247m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Therefore, Emerald Holding has an ROCE of 8.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Media industry average of 9.4%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Emerald Holding compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Emerald Holding for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

You'd find it hard not to be impressed with the ROCE trend at Emerald Holding. We found that the returns on capital employed over the last five years have risen by 49%. That's not bad because this tells for every dollar invested (capital employed), the company is increasing the amount earned from that dollar. Speaking of capital employed, the company is actually utilizing 39% less than it was five years ago, which can be indicative of a business that's improving its efficiency. If this trend continues, the business might be getting more efficient but it's shrinking in terms of total assets.

The Bottom Line On Emerald Holding's ROCE

In the end, Emerald Holding has proven it's capital allocation skills are good with those higher returns from less amount of capital. And since the stock has fallen 50% over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here. So researching this company further and determining whether or not these trends will continue seems justified.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Emerald Holding we've found 2 warning signs (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While Emerald Holding 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.