CCL Products (India) Limited’s (NSE:CCL) healthy profit numbers didn’t contain any surprises for investors. However the statutory profit number doesn’t tell the whole story, and we have found some factors which might be of concern to shareholders.

Check out the opportunities and risks within the IN Food industry.

Zooming In On CCL Products (India)’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. 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.

CCL Products (India) has an accrual ratio of 0.23 for the year to September 2022. We can therefore deduce that its free cash flow fell well short of covering its statutory profit. Over the last year it actually had negative free cash flow of ₹2.1b, in contrast to the aforementioned profit of ₹2.22b. We also note that CCL Products (India)’s free cash flow was actually negative last year as well, so we could understand if shareholders were bothered by its outflow of ₹2.1b.

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 CCL Products (India)’s Profit Performance

CCL Products (India) didn’t convert much of its profit to free cash flow in the last year, which some investors may consider rather suboptimal. Because of this, we think that it may be that CCL Products (India)’s statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. Nonetheless, it’s still worth noting that its earnings per share have grown at 53% over the last three years. 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. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it’s worth noting the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we’ve spotted with CCL Products (India) (including 2 which are a bit unpleasant).

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of CCL Products (India)’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.