To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount 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. Having said that, from a first glance at MLG Oz (ASX:MLG) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

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

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. The formula for this calculation on MLG Oz is:

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

0.12 = AU$21m ÷ (AU$261m - AU$82m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, MLG Oz has an ROCE of 12%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Metals and Mining industry average of 10%.

See our latest analysis for MLG Oz

Above you can see how the current ROCE for MLG Oz compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering MLG Oz for free.

What Can We Tell From MLG Oz's ROCE Trend?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at MLG Oz, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 35% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

What We Can Learn From MLG Oz's ROCE

While returns have fallen for MLG Oz in recent times, we're encouraged to see that sales are growing and that the business is reinvesting in its operations. These growth trends haven't led to growth returns though, since the stock has fallen 30% over the last three years. As a result, we'd recommend researching this stock further to uncover what other fundamentals of the business can show us.

Like most companies, MLG Oz does come with some risks, and we've found 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.