There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of Andrews Sykes Group (LON:ASY) looks attractive right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Andrews Sykes Group:

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

0.28 = UK£22m ÷ (UK£96m - UK£20m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Andrews Sykes Group has an ROCE of 28%.  In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Trade Distributors industry average of 14%.

Check out our latest analysis for Andrews Sykes Group  roce

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 want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Andrews Sykes Group, check out these freegraphs here.

So How Is Andrews Sykes Group's ROCE Trending?

It's hard not to be impressed by Andrews Sykes Group's returns on capital. The company has employed 32% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 28%. With returns that high, it's great that the business can continually reinvest its money at such appealing rates of return. If Andrews Sykes Group can keep this up, we'd be very optimistic about its future.

The Bottom Line On Andrews Sykes Group's ROCE

In the end, the company has proven it can reinvest it's capital at high rates of returns, which you'll remember is a trait of a multi-bagger. And given the stock has only risen 34% over the last five years, we'd suspect the market is beginning to recognize these trends. That's why it could be worth your time looking into this stock further to discover if it has more traits of a multi-bagger.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Andrews Sykes Group, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

Andrews Sykes 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.

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.

Join A Paid User Research Session
You’ll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here