Returns Are Gaining Momentum At China Suntien Green Energy (HKG:956)

What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in China Suntien Green Energy's (HKG:956) 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for China Suntien Green Energy:

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

0.079 = CN¥3.9b ÷ (CN¥65b - CN¥16b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).

Thus, China Suntien Green Energy has an ROCE of 7.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Oil and Gas industry average of 8.7%.

See our latest analysis for China Suntien Green Energy

In the above chart we have measured China Suntien Green Energy'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 China Suntien Green Energy here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For China Suntien Green Energy Tell Us?

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 7.9%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 128%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

What We Can Learn From China Suntien Green Energy's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that China Suntien Green Energy can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

Since virtually every company faces some risks, it's worth knowing what they are, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for China Suntien Green Energy (of which 1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should know about.

While China Suntien Green Energy isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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.

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