Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. 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. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. In light of that, when we looked at Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

Understanding 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. To calculate this metric for Telephone and Data Systems, this is the formula:

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

0.0092 = US$121m ÷ (US$14b - US$1.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2023).

Thus, Telephone and Data Systems has an ROCE of 0.9%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Wireless Telecom industry average of 16%.

Check out our latest analysis for Telephone and Data Systems

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Telephone and Data Systems 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 Telephone and Data Systems here for free.

So How Is Telephone and Data Systems' ROCE Trending?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at Telephone and Data Systems, we didn't gain much confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 2.2% over the last five years. However it looks like Telephone and Data Systems might be reinvesting for long term growth because while capital employed has increased, the company's sales haven't changed much in the last 12 months. It's worth keeping an eye on the company's earnings from here on to see if these investments do end up contributing to the bottom line.

What We Can Learn From Telephone and Data Systems' ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Telephone and Data Systems' reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 38% in the last five years. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

If you'd like to know more about Telephone and Data Systems, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 2 of them are potentially serious.

While Telephone and Data Systems 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.