The Trend Of High Returns At TriNet Group (NYSE:TNET) Has Us Very Interested

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in TriNet Group's (NYSE:TNET) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What is it?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on TriNet Group is:

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

0.38 = US$538m ÷ (US$3.2b - US$1.8b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2022).

Therefore, TriNet Group has an ROCE of 38%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Professional Services industry average of 12%.

View our latest analysis for TriNet Group

In the above chart we have measured TriNet Group'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.

So How Is TriNet Group's ROCE Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at TriNet Group. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 38%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 96% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at TriNet Group thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that TriNet Group has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 56%, which we'd consider pretty high. This effectively means that suppliers (or short-term creditors) are funding a large portion of the business, so just be aware that this can introduce some elements of risk. Ideally we'd like to see this reduce as that would mean fewer obligations bearing risks.

What We Can Learn From TriNet Group's ROCE

To sum it up, TriNet Group has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a staggering 147% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing TriNet Group that you might find interesting.

If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning 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.