Investors signalled that they were pleased with PanAsialum Holdings Company Limited's (HKG:2078) most recent earnings report. Looking deeper at the numbers, we found several encouraging factors beyond the headline profit numbers.

See our latest analysis for PanAsialum Holdings

Zooming In On PanAsialum Holdings' Earnings

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. 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.

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. 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. Notably, there is some academic evidence that suggests that a high accrual ratio is a bad sign for near-term profits, generally speaking.

PanAsialum Holdings has an accrual ratio of -0.22 for the year to December 2023. That indicates that its free cash flow quite significantly exceeded its statutory profit. To wit, it produced free cash flow of HK$219m during the period, dwarfing its reported profit of HK$27.3m. PanAsialum Holdings' free cash flow improved over the last year, which is generally good to see. However, that's not all there is to consider. We can see that unusual items have impacted its statutory profit, and therefore the accrual ratio.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of PanAsialum Holdings.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

While the accrual ratio might bode well, we also note that PanAsialum Holdings' profit was boosted by unusual items worth HK$9.7m in the last twelve months. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. When we crunched the numbers on thousands of publicly listed companies, we found that a boost from unusual items in a given year is often not repeated the next year. And that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. If PanAsialum Holdings doesn't see that contribution repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to drop over the current year.

Our Take On PanAsialum Holdings' Profit Performance

In conclusion, PanAsialum Holdings' accrual ratio suggests its statutory earnings are of good quality, but on the other hand the profits were boosted by unusual items. Considering all the aforementioned, we'd venture that PanAsialum Holdings' profit result is a pretty good guide to its true profitability, albeit a bit on the conservative side. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for PanAsialum Holdings (1 is concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, as a guide to a business. 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.