We Like The Quality Of Resolute Forest Products' (NYSE:RFP) Earnings

Resolute Forest Products Inc.'s (NYSE:RFP) recent earnings report didn't offer any surprises, with the shares unchanged over the last week. Our analysis suggests that shareholders might be missing some positive underlying factors in the earnings report.

View our latest analysis for Resolute Forest Products

Zooming In On Resolute Forest Products' 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. 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.

For the year to December 2020, Resolute Forest Products had an accrual ratio of -0.15. Therefore, its statutory earnings were very significantly less than its free cashflow. In fact, it had free cash flow of US$256m in the last year, which was a lot more than its statutory profit of US$10.0m. Notably, Resolute Forest Products had negative free cash flow last year, so the US$256m it produced this year was a welcome improvement. Having said that, there is more to the story. We can see that unusual items have impacted its statutory profit, and therefore the accrual ratio.

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.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Resolute Forest Products' profit was reduced by unusual items worth US$74m in the last twelve months, and this helped it produce high cash conversion, as reflected by its unusual items. This is what you'd expect to see where a company has a non-cash charge reducing paper profits. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. In the twelve months to December 2020, Resolute Forest Products had a big unusual items expense. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker than it would otherwise be.

Our Take On Resolute Forest Products' Profit Performance

Considering both Resolute Forest Products' accrual ratio and its unusual items, we think its statutory earnings are unlikely to exaggerate the company's underlying earnings power. After considering all this, we reckon Resolute Forest Products' statutory profit probably understates its earnings potential! 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. At Simply Wall St, we found 4 warning signs for Resolute Forest Products and we think they deserve your attention.

Our examination of Resolute Forest Products has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. And it has passed with flying colours. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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 that insiders are buying.

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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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