Nanjing Railway New Technology Co.,Ltd.'s (SZSE:301016) stock showed strength, with investors undeterred by its weak earnings report. Sometimes, shareholders are willing to ignore soft numbers with the hope that they will improve, but our analysis suggests this is unlikely for Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd.

A Closer Look At Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd's Earnings

One key financial ratio used to measure how well a company converts its profit to free cash flow (FCF) is the accrual ratio. In plain english, this ratio subtracts FCF from net profit, and divides that number by the company's average operating assets over that period. This ratio tells us how much of a company's profit is not backed by free cashflow.

Therefore, it's actually considered a good thing when a company has a negative accrual ratio, but a bad thing if its accrual ratio is positive. While having an accrual ratio above zero is of little concern, we do think it's worth noting when a company has a relatively high accrual ratio. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.

For the year to December 2023, Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd had an accrual ratio of 0.28. Unfortunately, that means its free cash flow fell significantly short of its reported profits. Even though it reported a profit of CN¥54.2m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through CN¥42m in the last year. It's worth noting that Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd generated positive FCF of CN¥101m a year ago, so at least they've done it in the past. One positive for Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd shareholders is that it's accrual ratio was significantly better last year, providing reason to believe that it may return to stronger cash conversion in the future. Shareholders should look for improved cashflow relative to profit in the current year, if that is indeed the case.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd.

Our Take On Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd's Profit Performance

Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd's accrual ratio for the last twelve months signifies cash conversion is less than ideal, which is a negative when it comes to our view of its earnings. Because of this, we think that it may be that Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. In further bad news, its earnings per share decreased in the last year. 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. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Be aware that Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis and 3 of those don't sit too well with us...

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Nanjing Railway New TechnologyLtd's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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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.