What is a stock's earnings quality?

@millie 

A stock's earnings quality refers to the reliability and sustainability of a company's reported earnings. It assesses how accurately a company's reported earnings reflect its underlying economic performance and how likely these earnings are to continue or grow in the future.

Factors that determine earnings quality include:

1. Transparency: The extent to which a company provides clear and transparent financial statements, including detailed footnotes and disclosures.
2. Accounting practices: The consistency and conservatism of a company's accounting policies, adherence to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and avoidance of aggressive or manipulative accounting practices.
3. Cash flow: The correlation between reported earnings and the company's cash flows. A high-quality earnings stream typically aligns with strong and consistent cash flow generation.
4. Non-recurring items: The presence of non-recurring or one-time charges or gains, which may distort the true earnings picture. High-quality earnings are primarily derived from the core operations of the business.
5. Revenues and margins: The sustainability and growth potential of a company's revenue streams and profit margins. High-quality earnings are often supported by diversified and growing revenue sources and healthy profit margins.

Analysts and investors evaluate a company's earnings quality to assess its overall financial health, management credibility, and long-term prospects. Higher earnings quality generally implies greater reliability and confidence in a company's financial performance, which can attract investors and positively impact stock valuation.