If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Power Integrations (NASDAQ:POWI) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Power Integrations:

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

0.017 = US$13m ÷ (US$825m - US$51m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

So, Power Integrations has an ROCE of 1.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Semiconductor industry average of 8.6%.

See our latest analysis for Power Integrations

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Power Integrations compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Power Integrations .

The Trend Of ROCE

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Power Integrations, we didn't gain much confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 1.7% from 7.1% five years ago. And considering revenue has dropped while employing more capital, we'd be cautious. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

The Bottom Line On Power Integrations' ROCE

We're a bit apprehensive about Power Integrations because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. Investors must expect better things on the horizon though because the stock has risen 33% in the last five years. Either way, we aren't huge fans of the current trends and so with that we think you might find better investments elsewhere.

On a final note, we've found 2 warning signs for Power Integrations that we think you should be aware of.

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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