Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' (TSE:2395) Sluggish Earnings Might Be Just The Beginning Of Its Problems

Investors were disappointed by Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.'s (TSE:2395 ) latest earnings release. We did some further digging and think they have a few more reasons to be concerned beyond the statutory profit.

Check out our latest analysis for Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories

Examining Cashflow Against Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' 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. 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. 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. To quote a 2014 paper by Lewellen and Resutek, "firms with higher accruals tend to be less profitable in the future".

Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories has an accrual ratio of 0.29 for the year to March 2024. We can therefore deduce that its free cash flow fell well short of covering its statutory profit, suggesting we might want to think twice before putting a lot of weight on the latter. Even though it reported a profit of JP¥5.53b, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through JP¥6.5b in the last year. Coming off the back of negative free cash flow last year, we imagine some shareholders might wonder if its cash burn of JP¥6.5b, 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 Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' Profit Performance

Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' accrual ratio for the last twelve months signifies cash conversion is less than ideal, which is a negative when it comes to our view of its earnings. Because of this, we think that it may be that Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. But at least holders can take some solace from the 51% per annum growth in EPS for the last three. 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. If you'd like to know more about Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Be aware that Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 2 of those are a bit unpleasant...

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories' 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 with high insider ownership.

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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.