We Think That There Are Issues Underlying Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's (SHSE:600117) Earnings - Simply Wall St News

Xining Special Steel.Co.,Ltd's (SHSE:600117) robust earnings report didn't manage to move the market for its stock. We did some digging, and we found some concerning factors in the details.

View our latest analysis for Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd

Many investors haven't heard of the accrual ratio from cashflow, but it is actually a useful measure of how well a company's profit is backed up by free cash flow (FCF) during a given period. 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. The ratio shows us how much a company's profit exceeds its FCF.

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".

Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd has an accrual ratio of 0.37 for the year to September 2024. As a general rule, that bodes poorly for future profitability. To wit, the company did not generate one whit of free cashflow in that time. Even though it reported a profit of CN¥2.45b, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through CN¥716m in the last year. We saw that FCF was CN¥91m a year ago though, so Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd has at least been able to generate positive FCF in the past. However, that's not the end of the story. We must also consider the impact of unusual items on statutory profit (and thus the accrual ratio), as well as note the ramifications of the company issuing new shares. The good news for shareholders is that Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's accrual ratio was much better last year, so this year's poor reading might simply be a case of a short term mismatch between profit and FCF. Shareholders should look for improved cashflow relative to profit in the current year, if that is indeed the case.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd.

In order to understand the potential for per share returns, it is essential to consider how much a company is diluting shareholders. In fact, Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd increased the number of shares on issue by 211% over the last twelve months by issuing new shares. As a result, its net income is now split between a greater number of shares. To celebrate net income while ignoring dilution is like rejoicing because you have a single slice of a larger pizza, but ignoring the fact that the pizza is now cut into many more slices. Check out Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's historical EPS growth by clicking on this link.

Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd was losing money three years ago. And even focusing only on the last twelve months, we don't have a meaningful growth rate because it made a loss a year ago, too. But mathematics aside, it is always good to see when a formerly unprofitable business come good (though we accept profit would have been higher if dilution had not been required). So you can see that the dilution has had a fairly significant impact on shareholders.

In the long term, if Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's earnings per share can increase, then the share price should too. However, if its profit increases while its earnings per share stay flat (or even fall) then shareholders might not see much benefit. For the ordinary retail shareholder, EPS is a great measure to check your hypothetical "share" of the company's profit.

Unfortunately (in the short term) Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd saw its profit reduced by unusual items worth CN¥513m. If this was a non-cash charge, it would have made the accrual ratio better, if cashflow had stayed strong, so it's not great to see in combination with an uninspiring accrual ratio. While deductions due to unusual items are disappointing in the first instance, there is a silver lining. We looked at thousands of listed companies and found that unusual items are very often one-off in nature. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd took a rather significant hit from unusual items in the year to September 2024. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker than it would otherwise be.

Summing up, Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's unusual items suggest that its statutory earnings were temporarily depressed, and its accrual ratio indicates a lack of free cash flow relative to profit. And the dilution means that per-share results are weaker than the bottom line might imply. Based on these factors, we think that Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd's statutory profits probably make it seem better than it is on an underlying level. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Xining Special Steel.Co.Ltd.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, and we've come away cautious. 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. 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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Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.

Engages in the smelting, rolling, and processing of special steel products in China.

Adequate balance sheet with acceptable track record.