Bokusgruppen's (STO:BOKUS) Soft Earnings Are Actually Better Than They Appear

Soft earnings didn't appear to concern Bokusgruppen AB (publ)'s (STO:BOKUS) shareholders over the last week. We did some digging, and we believe the earnings are stronger than they seem.

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Zooming In On Bokusgruppen's Earnings

In high finance, the key ratio used to measure how well a company converts reported profits into free cash flow (FCF) is the accrual ratio (from cashflow). 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.

Therefore, it's actually considered a good thing when a company has a negative accrual ratio, but a bad thing if its accrual ratio is positive. 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.

Over the twelve months to March 2025, Bokusgruppen recorded an accrual ratio of -0.26. Therefore, its statutory earnings were very significantly less than its free cashflow. To wit, it produced free cash flow of kr220m during the period, dwarfing its reported profit of kr41.6m. Bokusgruppen did see its free cash flow drop year on year, which is less than ideal, like a Simpson's episode without Groundskeeper Willie.

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 Bokusgruppen's Profit Performance

Happily for shareholders, Bokusgruppen produced plenty of free cash flow to back up its statutory profit numbers. Based on this observation, we consider it possible that Bokusgruppen's statutory profit actually understates its earnings potential! On the other hand, its EPS actually shrunk in the last twelve months. 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. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Bokusgruppen you should be aware of.

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