We Think You Should Be Aware Of Some Concerning Factors In DreamCIS' (KOSDAQ:223250) Earnings

Following the solid earnings report from DreamCIS, Inc. (KOSDAQ:223250), the market responded by bidding up the stock price. While the profit numbers were good, our analysis has found some concerning factors that shareholders should be aware of.

View our latest analysis for DreamCIS

Examining Cashflow Against DreamCIS' 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. This ratio tells us how much of a company's profit is not backed by free cashflow.

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

For the year to December 2020, DreamCIS had an accrual ratio of 0.74. Ergo, its free cash flow is significantly weaker than its profit. As a general rule, that bodes poorly for future profitability. In fact, it had free cash flow of ₩3.1b in the last year, which was a lot less than its statutory profit of ₩4.85b. As it happens we don't have the data on what DreamCIS produced by way of free cashflow, the year before, which is a pity.

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 DreamCIS' Profit Performance

As we have made quite clear, we're a bit worried that DreamCIS didn't back up the last year's profit with free cashflow. For this reason, we think that DreamCIS' statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. 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. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for DreamCIS (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of DreamCIS' 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 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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