What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. So when we looked at Transocean (NYSE:RIG) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Transocean:

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

0.011 = US$194m ÷ (US$20b - US$1.4b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2024).

Thus, Transocean has an ROCE of 1.1%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Energy Services industry average of 9.7%.

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Transocean 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 Transocean .

What Does the ROCE Trend For Transocean Tell Us?

Like most people, we're pleased that Transocean is now generating some pretax earnings. While the business is profitable now, it used to be incurring losses on invested capital five years ago. In regards to capital employed, Transocean is using 21% less capital than it was five years ago, which on the surface, can indicate that the business has become more efficient at generating these returns. The reduction could indicate that the company is selling some assets, and considering returns are up, they appear to be selling the right ones.

Our Take On Transocean's ROCE

In the end, Transocean has proven it's capital allocation skills are good with those higher returns from less amount of capital. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 12% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

Like most companies, Transocean does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

While Transocean may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list here.

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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.