A8 New Media Group (HKG:800) Is Looking To Continue Growing Its Returns On Capital

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. So when we looked at A8 New Media Group (HKG:800) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for A8 New Media Group:

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

0.021 = CN¥34m ÷ (CN¥1.7b - CN¥81m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, A8 New Media Group has an ROCE of 2.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Entertainment industry average of 11%.

Check out our latest analysis for A8 New Media Group

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for A8 New Media Group's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating A8 New Media Group's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

So How Is A8 New Media Group's ROCE Trending?

The fact that A8 New Media Group is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 2.1% which is a sight for sore eyes. Not only that, but the company is utilizing 41% more capital than before, but that's to be expected from a company trying to break into profitability. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

Our Take On A8 New Media Group's ROCE

Overall, A8 New Media Group gets a big tick from us thanks in most part to the fact that it is now profitable and is reinvesting in its business. And given the stock has remained rather flat over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here if other metrics are strong. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with A8 New Media Group (at least 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.