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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. In light of that, when we looked at Cheil Electric (KOSDAQ:199820) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Cheil Electric is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.066 = ₩11b ÷ (₩235b - ₩66b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).
Therefore, Cheil Electric has an ROCE of 6.6%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Electrical industry average of 9.7%.
Check out our latest analysis for Cheil Electric
While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you're interested in investigating Cheil Electric's past further, check out this free graph covering Cheil Electric's past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
The returns on capital haven't changed much for Cheil Electric in recent years. The company has employed 23% more capital in the last one year, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 6.6%. This poor ROCE doesn't inspire confidence right now, and with the increase in capital employed, it's evident that the business isn't deploying the funds into high return investments.
In summary, Cheil Electric has simply been reinvesting capital and generating the same low rate of return as before. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 29% in the last five years. Therefore based on the analysis done in this article, we don't think Cheil Electric has the makings of a multi-bagger.
If you're still interested in Cheil Electric it's worth checking out our FREE intrinsic value approximation for A199820 to see if it's trading at an attractive price in other respects.
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.
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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.