CETC Digital TechnologyLtd (SHSE:600850) May Have Issues Allocating Its Capital

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think CETC Digital TechnologyLtd (SHSE:600850) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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. To calculate this metric for CETC Digital TechnologyLtd, this is the formula:

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

0.10 = CN¥532m ÷ (CN¥11b - CN¥6.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Thus, CETC Digital TechnologyLtd has an ROCE of 10%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 4.0% generated by the IT industry.

Check out our latest analysis for CETC Digital TechnologyLtd

Above you can see how the current ROCE for CETC Digital TechnologyLtd compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for CETC Digital TechnologyLtd .

So How Is CETC Digital TechnologyLtd's ROCE Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at CETC Digital TechnologyLtd, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 14%, but since then they've fallen to 10%. 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 side note, CETC Digital TechnologyLtd's current liabilities are still rather high at 54% of total assets. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, CETC Digital TechnologyLtd is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 12% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. As a result, if you're hunting for a multi-bagger, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing CETC Digital TechnologyLtd we've found 2 warning signs (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While CETC Digital TechnologyLtd 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.