We Think You Should Be Aware Of Some Concerning Factors In Linde India's (NSE:LINDEINDIA) Earnings

Linde India Limited (NSE:LINDEINDIA) just released a solid earnings report, and the stock displayed some strength. However, we think that shareholders should be cautious as we found some worrying factors underlying the profit.

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Examining Cashflow Against Linde India's Earnings

As finance nerds would already know, the accrual ratio from cashflow is a key measure for assessing how well a company's free cash flow (FCF) matches its profit. 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. 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. 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.

Linde India has an accrual ratio of 0.39 for the year to March 2025. As a general rule, that bodes poorly for future profitability. And indeed, during the period the company didn't produce any free cash flow whatsoever. Over the last year it actually had negative free cash flow of ₹7.5b, in contrast to the aforementioned profit of ₹4.55b. Coming off the back of negative free cash flow last year, we imagine some shareholders might wonder if its cash burn of ₹7.5b, this year, indicates high risk.

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.

Our Take On Linde India's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Linde India's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. For this reason, we think that Linde India's statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. Nonetheless, it's still worth noting that its earnings per share have grown at 68% over the last three years. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Linde India and you'll want to know about this.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Linde India's profit. 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. 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 with significant insider holdings to be useful.

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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.