If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) so let's look a bit deeper.

Our free stock report includes 4 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Super Micro Computer. Read for free now.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

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 Super Micro Computer is:

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

0.14 = US$1.3b ÷ (US$11b - US$1.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025).

So, Super Micro Computer has an ROCE of 14%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 14%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Super Micro Computer 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 Super Micro Computer .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

The trends we've noticed at Super Micro Computer are quite reassuring. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 14%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 692%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 13%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. So this improvement in ROCE has come from the business' underlying economics, which is great to see.

What We Can Learn From Super Micro Computer's ROCE

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Super Micro Computer has. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last five years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Super Micro Computer can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

Super Micro Computer does have some risks, we noticed 4 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.

While Super Micro Computer may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity.

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.