The Return Trends At Trican Well Service (TSE:TCW) Look Promising

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. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Trican Well Service's (TSE:TCW) 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. The formula for this calculation on Trican Well Service is:

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

0.19 = CA$110m ÷ (CA$671m - CA$94m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Trican Well Service has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Energy Services industry average of 11% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for Trican Well Service

In the above chart we have measured Trican Well Service's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

How Are Returns Trending?

Trican Well Service has not disappointed in regards to ROCE growth. The figures show that over the last five years, returns on capital have grown by 247%. The company is now earning CA$0.2 per dollar of capital employed. Speaking of capital employed, the company is actually utilizing 57% less than it was five years ago, which can be indicative of a business that's improving its efficiency. If this trend continues, the business might be getting more efficient but it's shrinking in terms of total assets.

The Bottom Line On Trican Well Service's ROCE

In summary, it's great to see that Trican Well Service has been able to turn things around and earn higher returns on lower amounts of capital. And given the stock has remained rather flat over the last five years, there might be an opportunity here if other metrics are strong. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Trican Well Service 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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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.