The stock price didn't jump after China Television Media, Ltd. (SHSE:600088) posted decent earnings last week. We think that investors might be worried about some concerning underlying factors.

Examining Cashflow Against China Television Media'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. To get the accrual ratio we first subtract FCF from profit for a period, and then divide that number by the average operating assets for the period. You could think of the accrual ratio from cashflow as the 'non-FCF profit ratio'.

As a result, a negative accrual ratio is a positive for the company, and a positive accrual ratio is a negative. While having an accrual ratio above zero is of little concern, we do think it's worth noting when a company has a relatively high accrual ratio. 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, China Television Media had an accrual ratio of 0.41. That means it didn't generate anywhere near enough free cash flow to match its profit. As a general rule, that bodes poorly for future profitability. Indeed, in the last twelve months it reported free cash flow of CN¥7.3m, which is significantly less than its profit of CN¥237.3m. Given that China Television Media had negative free cash flow in the prior corresponding period, the trailing twelve month resul of CN¥7.3m would seem to be a step in the right direction.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of China Television Media.

Our Take On China Television Media's Profit Performance

As we have made quite clear, we're a bit worried that China Television Media didn't back up the last year's profit with free cashflow. As a result, we think it may well be the case that China Television Media's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. On the bright side, the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money last year. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. If you want to do dive deeper into China Television Media, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for China Television Media and you'll want to know about them.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of China Television Media'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.

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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.