Impressive Earnings May Not Tell The Whole Story For LFE Corporation Berhad (KLSE:LFECORP)
Despite posting some strong earnings, the market for LFE Corporation Berhad's (KLSE:LFECORP) stock hasn't moved much. Our analysis suggests that this might be because shareholders have noticed some concerning underlying factors.
See our latest analysis for LFE Corporation Berhad
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. This ratio tells us how much of a company's profit is not backed by free cashflow.
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.
For the year to December 2024, LFE Corporation Berhad had an accrual ratio of 0.28. We can therefore deduce that its free cash flow fell well short of covering its statutory profit, suggesting we might want to think twice before putting a lot of weight on the latter. Indeed, in the last twelve months it reported free cash flow of RM4.2m, which is significantly less than its profit of RM25.4m. LFE Corporation Berhad's free cash flow actually declined over the last year, but it may bounce back next year, since free cash flow is often more volatile than accounting profits. However, as we will discuss below, we can see that the company's accrual ratio has been impacted by its tax situation. This would certainly have contributed to the weak cash conversion.
Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of LFE Corporation Berhad.
Moving on from the accrual ratio, we note that LFE Corporation Berhad profited from a tax benefit which contributed RM6.6m to profit. It's always a bit noteworthy when a company is paid by the tax man, rather than paying the tax man. We're sure the company was pleased with its tax benefit. However, our data indicates that tax benefits can temporarily boost statutory profit in the year it is booked, but subsequently profit may fall back. In the likely event the tax benefit is not repeated, we'd expect to see its statutory profit levels drop, at least in the absence of strong growth. So while we think it's great to receive a tax benefit, it does tend to imply an increased risk that the statutory profit overstates the sustainable earnings power of the business.
This year, LFE Corporation Berhad couldn't match its profit with cashflow. On top of that, the unsustainable nature of tax benefits mean that there's a chance profit may be lower next year, certainly in the absence of strong growth. Considering all this we'd argue LFE Corporation Berhad's profits probably give an overly generous impression of its sustainable level of profitability. If you want to do dive deeper into LFE Corporation Berhad, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for LFE Corporation Berhad (1 is significant) you should be familiar with.
Our examination of LFE Corporation Berhad has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. And, on that basis, we are somewhat skeptical. 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. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad (KLSE:KERJAYA) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of MYR0.03
The board of Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad (KLSE:KERJAYA) has announced that it will pay a dividend of MYR0.03 per share on the 30th of June. This makes the dividend yield 5.7%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before this announcement, Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad was paying out 84% of earnings, but a comparatively small 47% of free cash flows. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business. Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 39.2%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could reach 97%, which probably can't continue without putting some pressure on the balance sheet. Check out our latest analysis for Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was MYR0.0273, compared to the most recent full-year payment of MYR0.12. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 16% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious. With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad has impressed us by growing EPS at 5.9% per year over the past five years. Past earnings growth has been decent, but unless this is one of those rare businesses that can grow without additional capital investment or marketing spend, we'd generally expect the higher payout ratio to limit its future growth prospects. In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks. Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad that investors should take into consideration. Is Kerjaya Prospek Group Berhad not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) 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. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Calculating The Fair Value Of Only World Group Holdings Berhad (KLSE:OWG)
The projected fair value for Only World Group Holdings Berhad is RM0.18 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Current share price of RM0.22 suggests Only World Group Holdings Berhad is potentially trading close to its fair value In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Only World Group Holdings Berhad (KLSE:OWG) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM14.7m RM12.4m RM11.2m RM10.6m RM10.3m RM10.2m RM10.2m RM10.4m RM10.6m RM10.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -23.46% Est @ -15.33% Est @ -9.64% Est @ -5.65% Est @ -2.87% Est @ -0.91% Est @ 0.45% Est @ 1.41% Est @ 2.08% Est @ 2.55% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 15% RM12.8 RM9.4 RM7.4 RM6.1 RM5.2 RM4.5 RM3.9 RM3.5 RM3.1 RM2.8 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM59m After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 15%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2034 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = RM11m× (1 + 3.6%) ÷ (15%– 3.6%) = RM102m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM102m÷ ( 1 + 15%)10= RM26m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM85m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM0.2, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Only World Group Holdings Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 15%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.861. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Check out our latest analysis for Only World Group Holdings Berhad Strength Debt is well covered by cash flow. Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market. Weakness Interest payments on debt are not well covered. Current share price is above our estimate of fair value. Opportunity Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows. Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine OWG's earnings prospects. Threat No apparent threats visible for OWG. Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Only World Group Holdings Berhad, we've put together three further aspects you should further research: Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Only World Group Holdings Berhad (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) 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. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
SLP Resources Berhad (KLSE:SLP) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of MYR0.01
SLP Resources Berhad (KLSE:SLP) will pay a dividend of MYR0.01 on the 9th of July. This means the annual payment is 5.3% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, the company wasn't making enough to cover what it was paying to shareholders. This situation certainly isn't ideal, and could place significant strain on the balance sheet if it continues. Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 16.3% over the next year. If the dividend continues on its recent course, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 112%, which is a bit high and could start applying pressure to the balance sheet. Check out our latest analysis for SLP Resources Berhad The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from MYR0.0167 total annually to MYR0.0475. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious. With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. In the last five years, SLP Resources Berhad's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 9.4% per annum. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern. Overall, while some might be pleased that the dividend wasn't cut, we think this may help SLP Resources Berhad make more consistent payments in the future. The company seems to be stretching itself a bit to make such big payments, but it doesn't appear they can be consistent over time. Overall, this doesn't get us very excited from an income standpoint. Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, SLP Resources Berhad has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about. Is SLP Resources Berhad not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) 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.