To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at Shin Hai Gas (TPE:9926) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
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. To calculate this metric for Shin Hai Gas, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.082 = NT$432m ÷ (NT$6.6b - NT$1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2020).
Thus, Shin Hai Gas has an ROCE of 8.2%. On its own that's a low return on capital but it's in line with the industry's average returns of 7.6%.
View our latest analysis for Shin Hai Gas
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Shin Hai Gas' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Shin Hai Gas, check out these free graphs here.
So How Is Shin Hai Gas' ROCE Trending?
The returns on capital haven't changed much for Shin Hai Gas in recent years. The company has consistently earned 8.2% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 39% in that time. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.
The Bottom Line On Shin Hai Gas' ROCE
Long story short, while Shin Hai Gas has been reinvesting its capital, the returns that it's generating haven't increased. And with the stock having returned a mere 39% in the last five years to shareholders, you could argue that they're aware of these lackluster trends. As a result, if you're hunting for a multi-bagger, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere.
While Shin Hai Gas doesn't shine too bright in this respect, it's still worth seeing if the company is trading at attractive prices. You can find that out with our FREE intrinsic value estimation on our platform.
If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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About TWSE:9926
Flawless balance sheet with proven track record and pays a dividend.