Accruals Ratio
Measures how much of reported earnings is accounting estimates rather than cash — high accruals are a red flag.
What it is
The accruals ratio captures the gap between a company's reported earnings and the actual cash it generated. Accruals are the non-cash, estimate-based part of profit, such as revenue booked before payment or changes in inventory and receivables. A common version divides the change in net operating assets by average net operating assets (the balance-sheet method).
Why it matters
Research shows companies with high accruals tend to have lower future earnings and weaker stock returns, because aggressive estimates often reverse later. Low accruals mean earnings are backed by real cash, which is higher quality. It is a practical earnings-quality and red-flag screen.
How it's calculated
A widely used balance-sheet version divides the year-over-year change in net operating assets by average net operating assets; a cash-flow version divides (net income minus operating cash flow minus investing cash flow) by average total assets. Net operating assets equals operating assets minus operating liabilities.
How Quintarthai uses it
Earnings, operating cash flow, and balance-sheet items used to gauge accruals are on the Financials tab of a company deep-analysis page, so you can compare profit with cash flow.