To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base 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 C-Link Squared (HKG:1463), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for C-Link Squared:

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

0.0089 = RM2.9m ÷ (RM338m - RM18m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

So, C-Link Squared has an ROCE of 0.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Professional Services industry average of 6.2%.

View our latest analysis for C-Link Squared

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for C-Link Squared's 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 C-Link Squared.

The Trend Of ROCE

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at C-Link Squared doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 38% over the last five years. Meanwhile, the business is utilizing more capital but this hasn't moved the needle much in terms of sales in the past 12 months, so this could reflect longer term investments. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

What We Can Learn From C-Link Squared's ROCE

In summary, C-Link Squared 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 expecting the fundamentals to get a lot worse because the stock has crashed 71% over the last three years. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing C-Link Squared, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

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.