Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Although, when we looked at BOC Aviation (HKG:2588), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on BOC Aviation is:

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

0.072 = US$1.5b ÷ (US$24b - US$3.5b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

So, BOC Aviation has an ROCE of 7.2%. On its own that's a low return, but compared to the average of 5.8% generated by the Trade Distributors industry, it's much better.

See our latest analysis for BOC Aviation

Above you can see how the current ROCE for BOC Aviation compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for BOC Aviation .

So How Is BOC Aviation's ROCE Trending?

The returns on capital haven't changed much for BOC Aviation in recent years. The company has employed 22% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 7.2%. 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.

What We Can Learn From BOC Aviation's ROCE

As we've seen above, BOC Aviation's returns on capital haven't increased but it is reinvesting in the business. Additionally, the stock's total return to shareholders over the last five years has been flat, which isn't too surprising. All in all, the inherent trends aren't typical of multi-baggers, so if that's what you're after, we think you might have more luck elsewhere.

BOC Aviation does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 2 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about.

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.

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.