The market seemed underwhelmed by last week's earnings announcement from ZipRecruiter, Inc. (NYSE:ZIP) despite the healthy numbers. We did some analysis to find out why and believe that investors might be missing some encouraging factors contained in the earnings.

See our latest analysis for ZipRecruiter

Zooming In On ZipRecruiter's Earnings

In high finance, the key ratio used to measure how well a company converts reported profits into free cash flow (FCF) is the accrual ratio (from cashflow). 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. 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. 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. Notably, there is some academic evidence that suggests that a high accrual ratio is a bad sign for near-term profits, generally speaking.

For the year to September 2023, ZipRecruiter had an accrual ratio of -2.09. That implies it has very good cash conversion, and that its earnings in the last year actually significantly understate its free cash flow. In fact, it had free cash flow of US$103m in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of US$62.9m. ZipRecruiter did see its free cash flow drop year on year, which is less than ideal, like a Simpson's episode without Groundskeeper Willie.

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 ZipRecruiter's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, ZipRecruiter's accrual ratio indicates strong conversion of profit to free cash flow, which is a positive for the company. Based on this observation, we consider it possible that ZipRecruiter's statutory profit actually understates its earnings potential! And on top of that, its earnings per share have grown at 8.7% per year over the last three years. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. If you'd like to know more about ZipRecruiter as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. To help with this, we've discovered 4 warning signs (2 don't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in ZipRecruiter.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of ZipRecruiter'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 that insiders are buying 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.