Beyond Earnings

Applying the HOLT CFROI and Economic Profit Framework

Wiley, 2017

15 min read

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Quarterly earnings are not the be-all and end-all of corporate financial performance.

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Each quarter, publicly traded firms make earnings announcements and provide guidance to Wall Street analysts. For shareholders and market experts, these declarations are the holy grail in determining the price and value proposition of a company’s stock. But financial professionals David Holland and Bryant Matthews argue that investor reliance on the earnings call misses the important financial information packed away in corporate statements. Investors, analysts and executives will find a deep reservoir of financial knowledge in this insightful text on the Credit Suisse HOLT methodology.

Summary

Investors and analysts should assess a company through the lenses of positive or negative net present value and cash flow.

Logic dictates that business financial decisions should be based on a positive net present value (NPV) proposition. However, too often in the corporate world, chief executives engage in negative NPV allocations. In fact, analysts calculate a $5.90 loss on each $100 spent on a merger or acquisition.

The answer to this conundrum rests in the difference between earnings and cash flow. Executives can use financial engineering to make earnings look better than the underlying company’s fundamentals. For market stakeholders, discounted cash flow (DCF) offers a far better analytical tool. Rather than chase earnings per share, corporate executives should focus on allocation, finance and investment decisions that center on positive NPV and produce more free cash flow. Unfortunately for investors, accounting profit and actual economic value are often two divergent metrics.

If a CEO’s decisions don’t alter the expected cash flows of the business, no fundamental change to its intrinsic valuation occurs.

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About the Authors

David Holland is a consultant to Credit Suisse and an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business. Bryant Matthews is the senior director of research for Credit Suisse HOLT.

David A. Holland and Bryant A. Matthews

Beyond Earnings

Applying the HOLT CFROI and Economic Profit Framework

What's inside?

Editorial Rating

Qualities

Recommendation

Summary

Investors and analysts should assess a company through the lenses of positive or negative net present value and cash flow.

If a CEO’s decisions don’t alter the expected cash flows of the business, no fundamental change to its intrinsic valuation occurs.

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