The market shrugged off Jiayou International Logistics Co.,Ltd's (SHSE:603871) solid earnings report. Our analysis showed that there are some concerning factors in the earnings that investors may be cautious of.

Zooming In On Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's Earnings

As finance nerds would already know, the accrual ratio from cashflow is a key measure for assessing how well a company's free cash flow (FCF) matches its profit. The accrual ratio subtracts the FCF from the profit for a given period, and divides the result by the average operating assets of the company over that time. You could think of the accrual ratio from cashflow as the 'non-FCF profit ratio'.

As a result, a negative accrual ratio is a positive for the company, and a positive accrual ratio is a negative. While it's not a problem to have a positive accrual ratio, indicating a certain level of non-cash profits, a high accrual ratio is arguably a bad thing, because it indicates paper profits are not matched by cash flow. To quote a 2014 paper by Lewellen and Resutek, "firms with higher accruals tend to be less profitable in the future".

For the year to September 2024, Jiayou International LogisticsLtd had an accrual ratio of 0.34. Therefore, we know that it's free cashflow was significantly lower than its statutory profit, raising questions about how useful that profit figure really is. In fact, it had free cash flow of CN¥189m in the last year, which was a lot less than its statutory profit of CN¥1.37b. Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's free cash flow actually declined over the last year, but it may bounce back next year, since free cash flow is often more volatile than accounting profits. The good news for shareholders is that Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's accrual ratio was much better last year, so this year's poor reading might simply be a case of a short term mismatch between profit and FCF. As a result, some shareholders may be looking for stronger cash conversion in the current year.

That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

Our Take On Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But on the bright side, its earnings per share have grown at an extremely impressive rate over the last three years. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. If you'd like to know more about Jiayou International LogisticsLtd as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Jiayou International LogisticsLtd (1 shouldn't be ignored!) and we strongly recommend you look at them before investing.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Jiayou International LogisticsLtd's profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.

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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.