We Think That There Are Some Issues For ITMAX System Berhad (KLSE:ITMAX) Beyond Its Promising Earnings

ITMAX System Berhad's (KLSE:ITMAX) healthy profit numbers didn't contain any surprises for investors. We think this is due to investors looking beyond the statutory profits and being concerned with what they see.

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Examining Cashflow Against ITMAX System Berhad'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. In plain english, this ratio subtracts FCF from net profit, and divides that number by the company's average operating assets over that period. This ratio tells us how much of a company's profit is not backed by free cashflow.

That means a negative accrual ratio is a good thing, because it shows that the company is bringing in more free cash flow than its profit would suggest. 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".

Over the twelve months to June 2025, ITMAX System Berhad recorded an accrual ratio of 0.39. 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. Even though it reported a profit of RM86.4m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through RM34m in the last year. We saw that FCF was RM4.2m a year ago though, so ITMAX System Berhad has at least been able to generate positive FCF in the past.

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 ITMAX System Berhad's Profit Performance

As we have made quite clear, we're a bit worried that ITMAX System Berhad didn't back up the last year's profit with free cashflow. For this reason, we think that ITMAX System Berhad's statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. The good news is that, its earnings per share increased by 23% in the last year. At the end of the day, it's essential to consider more than just the factors above, if you want to understand the company properly. 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 ITMAX System Berhad and you'll want to know about this.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of ITMAX System Berhad'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. 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.