We're Not So Sure You Should Rely on Acer Cyber Security's (GTSM:6690) Statutory Earnings

It might be old fashioned, but we really like to invest in companies that make a profit, each and every year. Having said that, sometimes statutory profit levels are not a good guide to ongoing profitability, because some short term one-off factor has impacted profit levels. Today we'll focus on whether this year's statutory profits are a good guide to understanding Acer Cyber Security (GTSM:6690).

While Acer Cyber Security was able to generate revenue of NT$741.8m in the last twelve months, we think its profit result of NT$73.4m was more important. The chart below shows how profit has actually increased over the last three years, even while revenue has declined.

Check out our latest analysis for Acer Cyber Security

Importantly, statutory profits are not always the best tool for understanding a company's true earnings power, so it's well worth examining profits in a little more detail. As a result, we think it's well worth considering what Acer Cyber Security's cashflow (when compared to its earnings) can tell us about the nature of its statutory profit. Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Acer Cyber Security.

Zooming In On Acer Cyber Security'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). The accrual ratio subtracts the FCF from the profit for a given period, and divides the result by the average operating assets of the company over that time. 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. 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 September 2020, Acer Cyber Security had an accrual ratio of 0.37. As a general rule, that bodes poorly for future profitability. And indeed, during the period the company didn't produce any free cash flow whatsoever. Even though it reported a profit of NT$73.4m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through NT$8.7m in the last year. We also note that Acer Cyber Security's free cash flow was actually negative last year as well, so we could understand if shareholders were bothered by its outflow of NT$8.7m.

Our Take On Acer Cyber Security's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Acer Cyber Security's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Acer Cyber Security's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But on the bright side, its earnings per share have grown at an extremely impressive rate 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. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Acer Cyber Security (1 is a bit concerning) you should be familiar with.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Acer Cyber Security's 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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