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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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Bloomsbury Publishing's (LON:BMY) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
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. To calculate this metric for Bloomsbury Publishing, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.20 = UK£43m ÷ (UK£372m - UK£160m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2024).
So, Bloomsbury Publishing has an ROCE of 20%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Media industry average of 10%.
Check out our latest analysis for Bloomsbury Publishing
Above you can see how the current ROCE for Bloomsbury Publishing 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 Bloomsbury Publishing .
What Can We Tell From Bloomsbury Publishing's ROCE Trend?
The trends we've noticed at Bloomsbury Publishing are quite reassuring. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 20%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 45%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.
On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 43% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.
The Key Takeaway
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 Bloomsbury Publishing has. And a remarkable 220% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.