If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. 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. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think RS Group (LON:RS1) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for RS Group:

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

0.14 = UK￡286m ÷ (UK￡2.9b - UK￡815m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

So, RS Group has an ROCE of 14%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 15% generated by the Trade Distributors industry.

See our latest analysis for RS Group

Above you can see how the current ROCE for RS 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 RS Group .

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at RS Group, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 22%, but since then they've fallen to 14%. However it looks like RS Group might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

The Bottom Line On RS Group's ROCE

In summary, RS Group is reinvesting funds back into the business for growth but unfortunately it looks like sales haven't increased much just yet. Since the stock has gained an impressive 48% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

If you want to continue researching RS Group, you might be interested to know about the 1 warning sign that our analysis has discovered.