There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of Beijer Ref (STO:BEIJ B) looks decent, right now, so lets see what the trend of returns can tell us.
If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Beijer Ref is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.10 = kr3.6b ÷ (kr45b - kr11b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).
So, Beijer Ref has an ROCE of 10%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Trade Distributors industry average of 12%.
Check out our latest analysis for Beijer Ref
In the above chart we have measured Beijer Ref's 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 Beijer Ref for free.
While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has employed 326% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 10%. Since 10% is a moderate ROCE though, it's good to see a business can continue to reinvest at these decent rates of return. Over long periods of time, returns like these might not be too exciting, but with consistency they can pay off in terms of share price returns.
In the end, Beijer Ref has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And given the stock has only risen 37% over the last five years, we'd suspect the market is beginning to recognize these trends. So because of the trends we're seeing, we'd recommend looking further into this stock to see if it has the makings of a multi-bagger.
Beijer Ref could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for BEIJ B on our platform quite valuable.
While Beijer Ref 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.
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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.