United International Transportation (TADAWUL:4260) Is Posting Promising Earnings But The Good News Doesn’t Stop There

United International Transportation Company (TADAWUL:4260) announced a healthy earnings result recently, and the market rewarded it with a strong stock price reaction. This reaction by the market reaction is understandable when looking at headline profits and we have found some further encouraging factors.

Check out our latest analysis for United International Transportation

Zooming In On United International Transportation'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. 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".

For the year to June 2021, United International Transportation had an accrual ratio of -0.11. Therefore, its statutory earnings were quite a lot less than its free cashflow. In fact, it had free cash flow of ر.س360m in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of ر.س231.2m. United International Transportation's free cash flow improved over the last year, which is generally good to see.

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 United International Transportation's Profit Performance

United International Transportation's accrual ratio is solid, and indicates strong free cash flow, as we discussed, above. Because of this, we think United International Transportation's earnings potential is at least as good as it seems, and maybe even better! And on top of that, its earnings per share have grown at 60% per year 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. If you want to do dive deeper into United International Transportation, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with United International Transportation, and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of United International Transportation's profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. 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. 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.
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