Why We Like The Returns At China Shanshui Cement Group (HKG:691)

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at China Shanshui Cement Group's (HKG:691) look very promising so lets take a look.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

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 China Shanshui Cement Group is:

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

0.26 = CN¥5.0b ÷ (CN¥29b - CN¥9.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Thus, China Shanshui Cement Group has an ROCE of 26%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.3% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for China Shanshui Cement Group

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating China Shanshui Cement Group's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Does the ROCE Trend For China Shanshui Cement Group Tell Us?

We like the trends that we're seeing from China Shanshui Cement Group. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 26%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 419%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at China Shanshui Cement Group thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

On a related note, the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets has decreased to 32%, which basically reduces it's funding from the likes of short-term creditors or suppliers. Therefore we can rest assured that the growth in ROCE is a result of the business' fundamental improvements, rather than a cooking class featuring this company's books.

The Bottom Line On China Shanshui Cement Group's ROCE

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what China Shanshui Cement Group has. Given the stock has declined 29% in the last three years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

If you want to continue researching China Shanshui Cement Group, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.

China Shanshui Cement Group is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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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.