If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Dundee Precious Metals' (TSE:DPM) look very promising so lets take a look.

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 Dundee Precious Metals, this is the formula:

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

0.25 = US$211m ÷ (US$971m – US$113m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021).

Therefore, Dundee Precious Metals has an ROCE of 25%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Metals and Mining industry average of 0.04%.

Check out our latest analysis for Dundee Precious Metals

In the above chart we have measured Dundee Precious Metals' 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 Dundee Precious Metals here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Dundee Precious Metals' ROCE growth is quite impressive. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 1,493% over the last five years. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

Our Take On Dundee Precious Metals' ROCE

To bring it all together, Dundee Precious Metals has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 94% return over the last five years. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Dundee Precious Metals can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

On a separate note, we've found 3 warning signs for Dundee Precious Metals you'll probably want to know about.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.

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