The subdued stock price reaction suggests that Cadre Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:CDRE) strong earnings didn't offer any surprises. Our analysis suggests that investors might be missing some promising details.

Examining Cashflow Against Cadre Holdings' 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. 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, Cadre Holdings had an accrual ratio of -0.11. That indicates that its free cash flow was a fair bit more than its statutory profit. Indeed, in the last twelve months it reported free cash flow of US$66m, well over the US$38.6m it reported in profit. Cadre Holdings shareholders are no doubt pleased that free cash flow improved over the last twelve months. Unfortunately for shareholders, the company has also been issuing new shares, diluting their share of future earnings.

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.

One essential aspect of assessing earnings quality is to look at how much a company is diluting shareholders. Cadre Holdings expanded the number of shares on issue by 6.6% over the last year. That means its earnings are split among 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 Cadre Holdings' historical EPS growth by clicking on this link.

How Is Dilution Impacting Cadre Holdings' Earnings Per Share (EPS)?

You can see above that Cadre Holdings' profit is about the same as it was three years back. In contrast, its earnings per share is down 26% per year over the same period. The profit growth of 564% in the last twelve months certainly seems very impressive. Then again, EPS was only up 539% over that period. And so, you can see quite clearly that dilution is influencing shareholder earnings.

Changes in the share price do tend to reflect changes in earnings per share, in the long run. So Cadre Holdings shareholders will want to see that EPS figure continue to increase. However, if its profit increases while its earnings per share stay flat (or even fall) then shareholders might not see much benefit. For that reason, you could say that EPS is more important that net income in the long run, assuming the goal is to assess whether a company's share price might grow.

Our Take On Cadre Holdings' Profit Performance

In conclusion, Cadre Holdings has strong cashflow relative to earnings, which indicates good quality earnings, but the dilution means its earnings per share growth is weaker than its profit growth. Given the contrasting considerations, we don't have a strong view as to whether Cadre Holdings's profits are an apt reflection of its underlying potential for profit. 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. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Cadre Holdings.

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 is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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 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.