Shareholders Will Be Pleased With The Quality of Route Mobile's (NSE:ROUTE) Earnings

Route Mobile Limited (NSE:ROUTE) recently posted some strong earnings, and the market responded positively. Our analysis found some more factors that we think are good for shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Route Mobile

Zooming In On Route Mobile's Earnings

Many investors haven't heard of the accrual ratio from cashflow, but it is actually a useful measure of how well a company's profit is backed up by free cash flow (FCF) during a given period. In plain english, this ratio subtracts FCF from net profit, and divides that number by the company's average operating assets over that period. You could think of the accrual ratio from cashflow as the 'non-FCF profit ratio'.

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. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.

Route Mobile has an accrual ratio of -0.46 for the year to March 2021. That indicates that its free cash flow quite significantly exceeded its statutory profit. In fact, it had free cash flow of ₹2.2b in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of ₹1.33b. Route Mobile shareholders are no doubt pleased that free cash flow improved over the last twelve months.

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 Route Mobile's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, Route Mobile's accrual ratio indicates strong conversion of profit to free cash flow, which is a positive for the company. Based on this observation, we consider it possible that Route Mobile's statutory profit actually understates its earnings potential! Better yet, its EPS are growing strongly, which is nice to see. 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. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Route Mobile you should know about.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Route Mobile'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. 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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