We Think Niu Technologies (NASDAQ:NIU) Might Have The DNA Of A Multi-Bagger
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Niu Technologies' (NASDAQ:NIU) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
What is 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. The formula for this calculation on Niu Technologies is:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.21 = CN¥265m ÷ (CN¥2.6b - CN¥1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021).
Thus, Niu Technologies has an ROCE of 21%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Auto industry average of 11%.
See our latest analysis for Niu Technologies
In the above chart we have measured Niu Technologies' 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 Niu Technologies here for free.
What Can We Tell From Niu Technologies' ROCE Trend?
Niu Technologies has recently broken into profitability so their prior investments seem to be paying off. Shareholders would no doubt be pleased with this because the business was loss-making three years ago but is is now generating 21% on its capital. And unsurprisingly, like most companies trying to break into the black, Niu Technologies is utilizing 461% more capital than it was three years ago. We like this trend, because it tells us the company has profitable reinvestment opportunities available to it, and if it continues going forward that can lead to a multi-bagger performance.
In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 52%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. Therefore we can rest assured that the growth in ROCE is a result of the business' fundamental improvements, rather than a cooking class featuring this company's books. However, current liabilities are still at a pretty high level, so just be aware that this can bring with it some risks.
Our Take On Niu Technologies' ROCE
In summary, it's great to see that Niu Technologies has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. And with the stock having performed exceptionally well over the last three years, these patterns are being accounted for by investors. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if Niu Technologies can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.
If you want to continue researching Niu Technologies, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.
If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high 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.
