Allied Tecnologia (BVMF:ALLD3) Is Posting Promising Earnings But The Good News Doesn’t Stop There

Investors signalled that they were pleased with Allied Tecnologia S.A.'s (BVMF:ALLD3) most recent earnings report. Looking deeper at the numbers, we found several encouraging factors beyond the headline profit numbers.

View our latest analysis for Allied Tecnologia

Examining Cashflow Against Allied Tecnologia'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). 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. 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 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. 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 2024, Allied Tecnologia had an accrual ratio of -0.68. That indicates that its free cash flow quite significantly exceeded its statutory profit. In fact, it had free cash flow of R$1.4b in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of R$155.6m. Allied Tecnologia's free cash flow actually declined over the last year, which is disappointing, like non-biodegradable balloons. Importantly, we note an unusual tax situation, which we discuss below, has impacted the accruals ratio.

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.

An Unusual Tax Situation

In addition to the notable accrual ratio, we can see that Allied Tecnologia received a tax benefit of R$17m. This is meaningful because companies usually pay tax rather than receive tax benefits. Of course, prima facie it's great to receive a tax benefit. However, our data indicates that tax benefits can temporarily boost statutory profit in the year it is booked, but subsequently profit may fall back. In the likely event the tax benefit is not repeated, we'd expect to see its statutory profit levels drop, at least in the absence of strong growth.

Our Take On Allied Tecnologia's Profit Performance

In conclusion, Allied Tecnologia has strong cashflow relative to earnings, which indicates good quality earnings, but the tax benefit means its profit wasn't as sustainable as we'd like to see. Based on these factors, we think that Allied Tecnologia's profits are a reasonably conservative guide to its underlying profitability. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Allied Tecnologia.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, as a guide to a business. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. Some people consider a high return on equity to be a good sign of a quality business. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with high insider ownership.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.