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. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Al Masane Al Kobra Mining's (TADAWUL:1322) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Understanding 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. To calculate this metric for Al Masane Al Kobra Mining, this is the formula:

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

0.06 = ر.س78m ÷ (ر.س1.5b - ر.س197m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining has an ROCE of 6.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Metals and Mining industry average of 11%.

See our latest analysis for Al Masane Al Kobra Mining

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you'd like to look at how Al Masane Al Kobra Mining has performed in the past in other metrics, you can view this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

We're delighted to see that Al Masane Al Kobra Mining is reaping rewards from its investments and is now generating some pre-tax profits. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 6.0% which is a sight for sore eyes. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining is utilizing 41% more capital than it was five years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.

The Key Takeaway

Overall, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining gets a big tick from us thanks in most part to the fact that it is now profitable and is reinvesting in its business. Investors may not be impressed by the favorable underlying trends yet because over the last year the stock has only returned 3.4% to shareholders. So exploring more about this stock could uncover a good opportunity, if the valuation and other metrics stack up.

One more thing to note, we've identified 2 warning signs with Al Masane Al Kobra Mining and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

While Al Masane Al Kobra Mining may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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.