Soft earnings didn't appear to concern Anton Oilfield Services Group's (HKG:3337) shareholders over the last week. Our analysis suggests that while the profits are soft, the foundations of the business are strong.

Zooming In On Anton Oilfield Services Group's 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. You could think of the accrual ratio from cashflow as the 'non-FCF profit ratio'.

Therefore, it's actually considered a good thing when a company has a negative accrual ratio, but a bad thing if its accrual ratio is positive. 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".

Over the twelve months to December 2023, Anton Oilfield Services Group recorded an accrual ratio of -0.12. 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 CN¥693m, well over the CN¥196.5m it reported in profit. Anton Oilfield Services Group did see its free cash flow drop year on year, which is less than ideal, like a Simpson's episode without Groundskeeper Willie.

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 Anton Oilfield Services Group's Profit Performance

Anton Oilfield Services Group's accrual ratio is solid, and indicates strong free cash flow, as we discussed, above. Because of this, we think Anton Oilfield Services Group's earnings potential is at least as good as it seems, and maybe even better! On the other hand, its EPS actually shrunk in the last twelve months. 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 Anton Oilfield Services Group as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Anton Oilfield Services Group you should know about.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Anton Oilfield Services Group's profit. 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.