Additional Considerations Required While Assessing Annapurna Swadisht's (NSE:ANNAPURNA) Strong Earnings

Annapurna Swadisht Limited (NSE:ANNAPURNA) just reported some strong earnings, and the market reacted accordingly with a healthy uplift in the share price. However, our analysis suggests that shareholders may be missing some factors that indicate the earnings result was not as good as it looked.

Check out our latest analysis for Annapurna Swadisht

A Closer Look At Annapurna Swadisht'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. You could think of the accrual ratio from cashflow as the 'non-FCF profit ratio'.

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. 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 September 2023, Annapurna Swadisht recorded an accrual ratio of 0.96. Statistically speaking, that's a real negative for future earnings. To wit, the company did not generate one whit of free cashflow in that time. In the last twelve months it actually had negative free cash flow, with an outflow of ₹655m despite its profit of ₹108.3m, mentioned above. We also note that Annapurna Swadisht's free cash flow was actually negative last year as well, so we could understand if shareholders were bothered by its outflow of ₹655m.

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

Our Take On Annapurna Swadisht's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Annapurna Swadisht's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Annapurna Swadisht's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But the good news is that its EPS growth over the last three years has been very impressive. 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. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Annapurna Swadisht you should be mindful of and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Annapurna Swadisht's profit. 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. 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.