Investors Shouldn't Be Too Comfortable With d1000 Varejo Farma Participações' (BVMF:DMVF3) Robust Earnings

d1000 Varejo Farma Participações S.A. (BVMF:DMVF3) announced strong profits, but the stock was stagnant. Our analysis suggests that shareholders have noticed something concerning in the numbers.

View our latest analysis for d1000 Varejo Farma Participações

An Unusual Tax Situation

We can see that d1000 Varejo Farma Participações received a tax benefit of R$20m. This is of course a bit out of the ordinary, given it is more common for companies to be paying tax than receiving tax benefits! 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.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of d1000 Varejo Farma Participações.

Our Take On d1000 Varejo Farma Participações' Profit Performance

In its most recent report, d1000 Varejo Farma Participações disclosed a tax benefit, as we discussed above. Tax is usually an expense, not a benefit, so we don't think the reported profit number is a particularly good guide to the earning potential of the business. As a result, we think it may well be the case that d1000 Varejo Farma Participações' underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But the happy news is that, while acknowledging we have to look beyond the statutory numbers, those numbers are still improving, with EPS growing at a very high rate over the last year. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. At Simply Wall St, we found 2 warning signs for d1000 Varejo Farma Participações and we think they deserve your attention.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of d1000 Varejo Farma Participações' profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. 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.