We Like The Quality Of RSWM's (NSE:RSWM) Earnings

The stock was sluggish on the back of RSWM Limited's (NSE:RSWM) recent earnings report. Along with the solid headline numbers, we think that investors have some reasons for optimism.

Check out our latest analysis for RSWM

A Closer Look At RSWM'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. 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.

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. While having an accrual ratio above zero is of little concern, we do think it's worth noting when a company has a relatively high accrual ratio. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.

Over the twelve months to March 2021, RSWM recorded an accrual ratio of -0.16. That indicates that its free cash flow quite significantly exceeded its statutory profit. In fact, it had free cash flow of ₹2.9b in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of ₹208.3m. RSWM's free cash flow improved over the last year, which is generally good to see. Importantly, we note an unusual tax situation, which we discuss below, has impacted the accruals ratio.

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

An Unusual Tax Situation

Moving on from the accrual ratio, we note that RSWM profited from a tax benefit which contributed ₹173m to profit. This is of course a bit out of the ordinary, given it is more common for companies to be paying tax than receiving tax benefits! The receipt of a tax benefit is obviously a good thing, on its own. And given that it lost money last year, it seems possible that the benefit is evidence that it now expects to find value in its past tax losses. However, the devil in the detail is that these kind of benefits only impact in the year they are booked, and are often one-off in nature. Assuming the tax benefit is not repeated every year, we could see its profitability drop noticeably, all else being equal. While we think it's good that the company has booked a tax benefit, it does mean that there's every chance the statutory profit will come in a lot higher than it would be if the income was adjusted for one-off factors.

Our Take On RSWM's Profit Performance

While RSWM's accrual ratio stands testament to its strong cashflow, and indicates good quality earnings, the fact that it received a tax benefit suggests that this year's profit may not be a great guide to its sustainable profit run-rate. After taking into account all these factors, we think that RSWM's statutory results are a decent reflection of its underlying earnings power. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. 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 RSWM.

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 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. 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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