If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So when we looked at HelloFresh (ETR:HFG) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Understanding 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 HelloFresh is:

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

0.086 = €148m ÷ (€2.7b - €945m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, HelloFresh has an ROCE of 8.6%. On its own, that's a low figure but it's around the 11% average generated by the Consumer Retailing industry.

View our latest analysis for HelloFresh

In the above chart we have measured HelloFresh's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering HelloFresh here for free.

What Does the ROCE Trend For HelloFresh Tell Us?

The fact that HelloFresh is now generating some pre-tax profits from its prior investments is very encouraging. The company was generating losses five years ago, but now it's earning 8.6% which is a sight for sore eyes. In addition to that, HelloFresh is employing 594% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that's trying to break into profitability. This can tell us that the company has plenty of reinvestment opportunities that are able to generate higher returns.

What We Can Learn From HelloFresh's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that HelloFresh has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. Since the stock has returned a staggering 145% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing HelloFresh that you might find interesting.

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.

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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.