Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology Co., Ltd's (SHSE:688580) robust recent earnings didn't do much to move the stock. We think this is due to investors looking beyond the statutory profits and being concerned with what they see.

Zooming In On Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology'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). In plain english, this ratio subtracts FCF from net profit, and divides that number by the company's average operating assets over that period. The ratio shows us how much a company's profit exceeds its FCF.

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. 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 March 2024, Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology had an accrual ratio of 0.37. 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¥127.9m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through CN¥28m in the last year. Coming off the back of negative free cash flow last year, we imagine some shareholders might wonder if its cash burn of CN¥28m, this year, indicates high risk.

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 Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology'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 Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But at least holders can take some solace from the 20% EPS growth in the last year. 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. If you'd like to know more about Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Nanjing Vishee Medical Technology's profit. 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.

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.