Last week's earnings announcement from Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (SHSE:688639) was disappointing to investors, with a sluggish profit figure. We did some further digging and think they have a few more reasons to be concerned beyond the statutory profit.

A Closer Look At Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology'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. To get the accrual ratio we first subtract FCF from profit for a period, and then divide that number by the average operating assets for the period. The ratio shows us how much a company's profit exceeds its FCF.

That means a negative accrual ratio is a good thing, because it shows that the company is bringing in more free cash flow than its profit would suggest. That is not intended to imply we should worry about a positive accrual ratio, but it's worth noting where the accrual ratio is rather high. To quote a 2014 paper by Lewellen and Resutek, "firms with higher accruals tend to be less profitable in the future".

Over the twelve months to September 2024, Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology recorded an accrual ratio of 0.44. Statistically speaking, that's a real negative for future earnings. To wit, the company did not generate one whit of free cashflow in that time. Over the last year it actually had negative free cash flow of CN¥940m, in contrast to the aforementioned profit of CN¥299.0m. We also note that Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology's free cash flow was actually negative last year as well, so we could understand if shareholders were bothered by its outflow of CN¥940m.

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 Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. For this reason, we think that Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology's statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. But the good news is that its EPS growth over the last three years has been very impressive. At the end of the day, it's essential to consider more than just the factors above, if you want to understand the company properly. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 5 warning signs we've spotted with Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology (including 3 which don't sit too well with us).

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology'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. 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.