If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base 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. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Limbach Holdings' (NASDAQ:LMB) look very promising so lets take 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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Limbach Holdings:

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

0.21 = US$36m ÷ (US$304m - US$131m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2024).

Therefore, Limbach Holdings has an ROCE of 21%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 11% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Limbach Holdings

In the above chart we have measured Limbach Holdings' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Limbach Holdings for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

We like the trends that we're seeing from Limbach Holdings. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 21%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 92%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Limbach Holdings thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

One more thing to note, Limbach Holdings has decreased current liabilities to 43% of total assets over this period, which effectively reduces the amount of funding from suppliers or short-term creditors. This tells us that Limbach Holdings has grown its returns without a reliance on increasing their current liabilities, which we're very happy with. Nevertheless, there are some potential risks the company is bearing with current liabilities that high, so just keep that in mind.

The Bottom Line On Limbach Holdings' 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 Limbach Holdings has. Since the stock has returned a staggering 1,401% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.