American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) has experienced declining returns on capital employed (ROCE) over the past five years, which suggests that it may be a mature business with reduced opportunities for growth. ROCE is a measure of a company’s yearly pre-tax profit relative to the capital employed in the business. American Airlines Group currently has an ROCE of 5.2%, which is in line with the industry average of 4.9%, but still a low return in itself. The trend of declining returns on the same amount of capital is not typically an indication of a growth stock. The stock has plummeted 70% over the last five years, and unless the underlying trends revert to a more positive trajectory, investors may want to consider looking elsewhere for investment opportunities.