If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount 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. Although, when we looked at Medlive Technology (HKG:2192), it didn’t seem to tick all of these boxes.

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 Medlive Technology, this is the formula:

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

0.0084 = CN¥36m ÷ (CN¥4.3b – CN¥120m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

Thus, Medlive Technology has an ROCE of 0.8%. In absolute terms, that’s a low return and it also under-performs the Healthcare Services industry average of 10%.

Check out the opportunities and risks within the HK Healthcare Services industry.

In the above chart we have measured Medlive Technology’s prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you’re interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

How Are Returns Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Medlive Technology, we didn’t gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 49% over the last three years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

On a related note, Medlive Technology has decreased its current liabilities to 2.8% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. What’s more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company’s suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business’ efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

Our Take On Medlive Technology’s ROCE

Even though returns on capital have fallen in the short term, we find it promising that revenue and capital employed have both increased for Medlive Technology. But since the stock has dived 84% in the last year, there could be other drivers that are influencing the business’ outlook. Therefore, we’d suggest researching the stock further to uncover more about the business.

One more thing, we’ve spotted 2 warning signs facing Medlive Technology that you might find interesting.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.