If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? 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. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at Innodata's (NASDAQ:INOD) look very promising so lets take a look.

Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit.

Understanding 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 Innodata, this is the formula:

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

0.36 = US$31m ÷ (US$125m - US$39m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025).

Therefore, Innodata has an ROCE of 36%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Professional Services industry average of 14%.

View our latest analysis for Innodata

In the above chart we have measured Innodata's 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 Innodata for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Innodata is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 36%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 160%. The increasing returns on a growing amount of capital is common amongst multi-baggers and that's why we're impressed.

What We Can Learn From Innodata's ROCE

All in all, it's terrific to see that Innodata is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Since the stock has returned a staggering 3,275% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

One more thing: We've identified 2 warning signs with Innodata (at least 1 which is significant) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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.