Grand Banks Yachts Limited's (SGX:G50) stock was strong after they recently reported robust earnings. We did some analysis and think that investors are missing some details hidden beneath the profit numbers.

A Closer Look At Grand Banks Yachts' Earnings

One key financial ratio used to measure how well a company converts its profit to free cash flow (FCF) is the accrual ratio. 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 2023, Grand Banks Yachts had an accrual ratio of 0.21. Therefore, we know that it's free cashflow was significantly lower than its statutory profit, which is hardly a good thing. To wit, it produced free cash flow of S$6.9m during the period, falling well short of its reported profit of S$13.4m. Notably, Grand Banks Yachts had negative free cash flow last year, so the S$6.9m it produced this year was a welcome improvement.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Grand Banks Yachts.

Our Take On Grand Banks Yachts' Profit Performance

Grand Banks Yachts didn't convert much of its profit to free cash flow in the last year, which some investors may consider rather suboptimal. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Grand Banks Yachts' true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. The good news is that, its earnings per share increased by 62% 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. 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. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Grand Banks Yachts.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Grand Banks Yachts' profit. 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. 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. 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.