Should You Use Enwell Energy's (LON:ENW) Statutory Earnings To Analyse It?

Statistically speaking, it is less risky to invest in profitable companies than in unprofitable ones. However, sometimes companies receive a one-off boost (or reduction) to their profit, and it's not always clear whether statutory profits are a good guide, going forward. This article will consider whether Enwell Energy's (LON:ENW) statutory profits are a good guide to its underlying earnings.

While Enwell Energy was able to generate revenue of US$39.5m in the last twelve months, we think its profit result of US$3.54m was more important. The chart below shows that revenue has improved over the last three years, and, even better, the company has moved from unprofitable to profitable.

Check out our latest analysis for Enwell Energy

Not all profits are equal, and we can learn more about the nature of a company's past profitability by diving deeper into the financial statements. So today we'll look at what Enwell Energy's cashflow and unusual items tell us about the quality of its earnings. 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.

Examining Cashflow Against Enwell Energy'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). In plain english, this ratio subtracts FCF from net profit, and divides that number by the company's average operating assets over that period. 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. 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. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.

Enwell Energy has an accrual ratio of 0.24 for the year to June 2020. Unfortunately, that means its free cash flow fell significantly short of its reported profits. In the last twelve months it actually had negative free cash flow, with an outflow of US$12m despite its profit of US$3.54m, mentioned above. We saw that FCF was US$27m a year ago though, so Enwell Energy has at least been able to generate positive FCF in the past. However, that's not all there is to consider. We can see that unusual items have impacted its statutory profit, and therefore the accrual ratio. One positive for Enwell Energy 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.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

Unfortunately (in the short term) Enwell Energy saw its profit reduced by unusual items worth US$2.0m. In the case where this was a non-cash charge it would have made it easier to have high cash conversion, so it's surprising that the accrual ratio tells a different story. While deductions due to unusual items are disappointing in the first instance, there is a silver lining. We looked at thousands of listed companies and found that unusual items are very often one-off in nature. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. Assuming those unusual expenses don't come up again, we'd therefore expect Enwell Energy to produce a higher profit next year, all else being equal.

Our Take On Enwell Energy's Profit Performance

In conclusion, Enwell Energy's accrual ratio suggests that its statutory earnings are not backed by cash flow, even though unusual items weighed on profit. Given the contrasting considerations, we don't have a strong view as to whether Enwell Energy's profits are an apt reflection of its underlying potential for profit. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Enwell Energy at this point in time. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Enwell Energy (1 is a bit unpleasant!) and we strongly recommend you look at them before investing.

Our examination of Enwell Energy has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. 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 that insiders are buying.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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