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To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at American Electric Power Company (NASDAQ:AEP), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.
What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?
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 American Electric Power Company is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.05 = US$3.9b ÷ (US$91b - US$12b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).
So, American Electric Power Company has an ROCE of 5.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Electric Utilities industry average of 4.4%.
See our latest analysis for American Electric Power Company
In the above chart we have measured American Electric Power Company's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for American Electric Power Company.
The Trend Of ROCE
The returns on capital haven't changed much for American Electric Power Company in recent years. Over the past five years, ROCE has remained relatively flat at around 5.0% and the business has deployed 44% more capital into its operations. Given the company has increased the amount of capital employed, it appears the investments that have been made simply don't provide a high return on capital.
In Conclusion...
Long story short, while American Electric Power Company has been reinvesting its capital, the returns that it's generating haven't increased. Since the stock has gained an impressive 61% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.
If you want to know some of the risks facing American Electric Power Company we've found 3 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
While American Electric Power Company 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.