Returns On Capital At Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology (SHSE:603125) Paint A Concerning Picture

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base 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. However, after investigating Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology (SHSE:603125), we don't think it's current trends fit the mold of a multi-bagger.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology is:

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

0.092 = CN¥207m ÷ (CN¥2.4b - CN¥142m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology has an ROCE of 9.2%. In absolute terms, that's a low return, but it's much better than the Chemicals industry average of 5.5%.

View our latest analysis for Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology

In the above chart we have measured Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 9.2% from 25% five years ago. 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's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

On a related note, Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology has decreased its current liabilities to 5.9% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. Effectively this means their suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of the business, which reduces some elements of risk. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

Our Take On Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 24% in the last year. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology has the makings of a multi-bagger.

If you want to know some of the risks facing Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology we've found 2 warning signs (1 is a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While Jiangsu Evergreen New Material Technology isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.