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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So when we looked at Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

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. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Helix Energy Solutions Group:

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

0.025 = US$51m ÷ (US$2.4b - US$383m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Thus, Helix Energy Solutions Group has an ROCE of 2.5%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Energy Services industry average of 13%.

See our latest analysis for Helix Energy Solutions Group

In the above chart we have measured Helix Energy Solutions Group'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 Helix Energy Solutions Group here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

While there are companies with higher returns on capital out there, we still find the trend at Helix Energy Solutions Group promising. Looking at the data, we can see that even though capital employed in the business has remained relatively flat, the ROCE generated has risen by 54% over the last five years. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. It's worth looking deeper into this though because while it's great that the business is more efficient, it might also mean that going forward the areas to invest internally for the organic growth are lacking.

The Bottom Line On Helix Energy Solutions Group's ROCE

In summary, we're delighted to see that Helix Energy Solutions Group has been able to increase efficiencies and earn higher rates of return on the same amount of capital. Since the stock has only returned 23% to shareholders over the last five years, the promising fundamentals may not be recognized yet by investors. Given that, we'd look further into this stock in case it has more traits that could make it multiply in the long term.

On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Helix Energy Solutions Group you'll probably want to know about.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive 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.