What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it’s a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. In light of that, when we looked at Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology (SZSE:001311) and its ROCE trend, we weren’t exactly thrilled.

What Is 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 Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology:

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

0.12 = CN¥535m ÷ (CN¥5.3b – CN¥876m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

So, Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology has an ROCE of 12%. In absolute terms, that’s a satisfactory return, but compared to the Auto Components industry average of 6.9% it’s much better.

Check out our latest analysis for Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology 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 Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology .

What Can We Tell From Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology’s ROCE Trend?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology doesn’t inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 25% over the last five years. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn’t moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

On a related note, Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology has decreased its current liabilities to 17% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What’s more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company’s suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business’ efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

The Bottom Line

In summary, Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven’t increased much just yet. And in the last year, the stock has given away 45% so the market doesn’t look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. In any case, the stock doesn’t have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that’s what you’re looking for, we think you’d have more luck elsewhere.

Chuzhou Duoli Automotive Technology does have some risks, we noticed 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.