Sixty Six Capital's (CSE:SIX) Robust Earnings Might Be Weaker Than You Think

The healthy profit announcement from Sixty Six Capital Inc. (CSE:SIX ) didn't seem to impress investors. We think that they may be worried about something else, so we did some analysis and found that investors have noticed some soft numbers underlying the profit.

Check out our latest analysis for Sixty Six Capital

A Closer Look At Sixty Six Capital'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. The ratio shows us how much a company's profit exceeds its FCF.

As a result, a negative accrual ratio is a positive for the company, and a positive accrual ratio is a negative. 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 June 2021, Sixty Six Capital had an accrual ratio of 1.07. Statistically speaking, that's a real negative for future earnings. And indeed, during the period the company didn't produce any free cash flow whatsoever. In the last twelve months it actually had negative free cash flow, with an outflow of CA$5.1m despite its profit of CA$32.1m, mentioned above. Coming off the back of negative free cash flow last year, we imagine some shareholders might wonder if its cash burn of CA$5.1m, this year, indicates high risk. However, that's not all there is to consider. The accrual ratio is reflecting the impact of unusual items on statutory profit, at least in part.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Sixty Six Capital.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

The fact that the company had unusual items boosting profit by CA$39m, in the last year, probably goes some way to explain why its accrual ratio was so weak. We can't deny that higher profits generally leave us optimistic, but we'd prefer it if the profit were to be sustainable. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. We can see that Sixty Six Capital's positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to June 2021. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items are making its statutory profit significantly stronger than it would otherwise be.

Our Take On Sixty Six Capital's Profit Performance

Sixty Six Capital had a weak accrual ratio, but its profit did receive a boost from unusual items. On reflection, the above-mentioned factors give us the strong impression that Sixty Six Capital'sunderlying earnings power is not as good as it might seem, based on the statutory profit numbers. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Sixty Six Capital at this point in time. For example, Sixty Six Capital has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about.

Our examination of Sixty Six Capital has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. And, on that basis, we are somewhat skeptical. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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 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.
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