Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) Is Looking To Continue Growing Its Returns On Capital

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. 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. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) so let's look a bit deeper.

What Is 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. The formula for this calculation on Oceaneering International is:

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

0.076 = US$111m ÷ (US$2.0b - US$568m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

Thus, Oceaneering International has an ROCE of 7.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Energy Services industry average of 9.0%.

Check out our latest analysis for Oceaneering International

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Oceaneering International compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Oceaneering International here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

You'd find it hard not to be impressed with the ROCE trend at Oceaneering International. The data shows that returns on capital have increased by 1,740% over the trailing five years. That's a very favorable trend because this means that the company is earning more per dollar of capital that's being employed. Speaking of capital employed, the company is actually utilizing 43% less than it was five years ago, which can be indicative of a business that's improving its efficiency. Oceaneering International may be selling some assets so it's worth investigating if the business has plans for future investments to increase returns further still.

For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. The current liabilities has increased to 28% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. Keep an eye out for future increases because when the ratio of current liabilities to total assets gets particularly high, this can introduce some new risks for the business.

In Conclusion...

In a nutshell, we're pleased to see that Oceaneering International has been able to generate higher returns from less capital. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 14% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Oceaneering International you'll probably want to know about.

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.