China Renewable Energy Investment (HKG:987) Is Doing The Right Things To Multiply Its Share Price

If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing 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. So when we looked at China Renewable Energy Investment (HKG:987) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding 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. The formula for this calculation on China Renewable Energy Investment is:

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

0.039 = HK$100m ÷ (HK$2.9b - HK$369m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2021).

So, China Renewable Energy Investment has an ROCE of 3.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Renewable Energy industry average of 6.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for China Renewable Energy Investment

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 Renewable Energy Investment's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Can We Tell From China Renewable Energy Investment's ROCE Trend?

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 3.9%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 20%. 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 Renewable Energy Investment'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 Renewable Energy Investment has. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last five years the stock has only returned 27% to shareholders. So with that in mind, we think the stock deserves further research.

Like most companies, China Renewable Energy Investment does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

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

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.