Returns On Capital At Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (KLSE:MPI) Paint A Concerning Picture

If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding 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. In light of that, when we looked at Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (KLSE:MPI) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

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Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad:

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

0.077 = RM209m ÷ (RM3.1b - RM433m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).

Thus, Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad has an ROCE of 7.7%. Even though it's in line with the industry average of 7.7%, it's still a low return by itself.

Check out our latest analysis for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad

In the above chart we have measured Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad'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 Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

In terms of Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 12%, but since then they've fallen to 7.7%. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

In Conclusion...

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 42% over the last five years. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for MPI on our platform quite valuable.

While Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad 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.