If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's 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 Temple & Webster Group's (ASX:TPW) returns on capital, so let's have a 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 Temple & Webster Group is:

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

0.064 = AU$8.1m ÷ (AU$206m - AU$80m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Thus, Temple & Webster Group has an ROCE of 6.4%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Specialty Retail industry average of 17%.

View our latest analysis for Temple & Webster Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Temple & Webster Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Temple & Webster Group .

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 6.4%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 712%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

One more thing to note, Temple & Webster Group has decreased current liabilities to 39% of total assets over this period, which effectively reduces the amount of funding from suppliers or short-term creditors. This tells us that Temple & Webster Group has grown its returns without a reliance on increasing their current liabilities, which we're very happy with.

The Bottom Line On Temple & Webster Group'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 Temple & Webster Group has. And a remarkable 586% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Temple & Webster Group can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

If you want to continue researching Temple & Webster Group, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high 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.