To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? 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 Xponential Fitness’ (NYSE:XPOF) returns on capital, so let’s have a look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven’t worked with ROCE before, it measures the ‘return’ (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Xponential Fitness, this is the formula:

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

0.096 = US$36m ÷ (US$472m – US$94m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

So, Xponential Fitness has an ROCE of 9.6%. In absolute terms, that’s a low return but it’s around the Hospitality industry average of 9.1%.

Check out our latest analysis for Xponential Fitness

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Xponential Fitness compares to its prior returns on capital, but there’s only so much you can tell from the past. If you’d like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Xponential Fitness .

What Can We Tell From Xponential Fitness’ ROCE Trend?

Xponential Fitness 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 five years ago but is is now generating 9.6% on its capital. In addition to that, Xponential Fitness is employing 43% more capital than previously which is expected of a company that’s trying to break into profitability. This can tell us that the company has plenty of reinvestment opportunities that are able to generate higher returns.

The Bottom Line On Xponential Fitness’ ROCE

In summary, it’s great to see that Xponential Fitness has managed to break into profitability and is continuing to reinvest in its business. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 31% in the last three years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

One more thing: We’ve identified 3 warning signs with Xponential Fitness (at least 1 which is concerning) , and understanding these would certainly be useful.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and 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.