What are the early trends we should look for to identify a stock that could multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think SiteOne Landscape Supply (NYSE:SITE) 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)

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for SiteOne Landscape Supply:

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

0.089 = US$222m ÷ (US$3.1b - US$649m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Thus, SiteOne Landscape Supply has an ROCE of 8.9%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Trade Distributors industry average of 12%.

See our latest analysis for SiteOne Landscape Supply

In the above chart we have measured SiteOne Landscape Supply's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for SiteOne Landscape Supply .

How Are Returns Trending?

In terms of SiteOne Landscape Supply's historical ROCE trend, it doesn't exactly demand attention. The company has consistently earned 8.9% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 114% in that time. 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.

Our Take On SiteOne Landscape Supply's ROCE

In conclusion, SiteOne Landscape Supply has been investing more capital into the business, but returns on that capital haven't increased. Unsurprisingly, the stock has only gained 27% over the last five years, which potentially indicates that investors are accounting for this going forward. So if you're looking for a multi-bagger, the underlying trends indicate you may have better chances elsewhere.

SiteOne Landscape Supply could be trading at an attractive price in other respects, so you might find our free intrinsic value estimation for SITE on our platform quite valuable.

While SiteOne Landscape Supply 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.

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.