If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. 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 Jin Medical International (NASDAQ:ZJYL), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Jin Medical International:

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

0.07 = US$2.0m ÷ (US$49m - US$21m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025).

Therefore, Jin Medical International has an ROCE of 7.0%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Medical Equipment industry average of 11%.

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Jin Medical International's ROCE against it's prior returns.

So How Is Jin Medical International's ROCE Trending?

In terms of Jin Medical International's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 28%, but since then they've fallen to 7.0%. However, given capital employed and revenue have both increased it appears that the business is currently pursuing growth, at the consequence of short term returns. If these investments prove successful, this can bode very well for long term stock performance.

On a side note, Jin Medical International's current liabilities are still rather high at 43% of total assets. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

What We Can Learn From Jin Medical International's ROCE

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Jin Medical International is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. Despite these promising trends, the stock has collapsed 72% over the last year, so there could be other factors hurting the company's prospects. Therefore, we'd suggest researching the stock further to uncover more about the business.

Jin Medical International does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

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.