There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So, when we ran our eye over XXF Group Holdings' (HKG:2473) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

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 XXF Group Holdings is:

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

0.11 = CN¥206m ÷ (CN¥2.9b - CN¥1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, XXF Group Holdings has an ROCE of 11%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 8.8% generated by the Specialty Retail industry.

View our latest analysis for XXF Group Holdings

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for XXF Group Holdings' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings , check out these free graphs detailing revenue and cash flow performance of XXF Group Holdings.

What Does the ROCE Trend For XXF Group Holdings Tell Us?

While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has consistently earned 11% for the last three years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 71% in that time. Since 11% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.

One more thing to note, even though ROCE has remained relatively flat over the last three years, the reduction in current liabilities to 37% of total assets, is good to see from a business owner's perspective. This can eliminate some of the risks inherent in the operations because the business has less outstanding obligations to their suppliers and or short-term creditors than they did previously.

What We Can Learn From XXF Group Holdings' ROCE

To sum it up, XXF Group Holdings has simply been reinvesting capital steadily, at those decent rates of return. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 507% return to those who've held over the last year. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research.

XXF Group Holdings does have some risks, we noticed 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.

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.

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.