If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at EVT (ASX:EVT), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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. The formula for this calculation on EVT is:

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

0.042 = AU$92m ÷ (AU$2.6b - AU$395m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

So, EVT has an ROCE of 4.2%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Entertainment industry average of 8.5%.

See our latest analysis for EVT

Above you can see how the current ROCE for EVT 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 EVT .

What Can We Tell From EVT's ROCE Trend?

In terms of EVT's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 9.4%, but since then they've fallen to 4.2%. However it looks like EVT might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line On EVT's ROCE

In summary, EVT is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 7.8% to shareholders over the last five years. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

On a separate note, we've found 2 warning signs for EVT you'll probably want to 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.