We Think That There Are Some Issues For Prairie Provident Resources (TSE:PPR) Beyond Its Promising Earnings

The market for Prairie Provident Resources Inc.'s (TSE:PPR) stock was strong after it released a healthy earnings report last week. However, we think that shareholders should be cautious as we found some worrying factors underlying the profit.

View our latest analysis for Prairie Provident Resources

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

Importantly, our data indicates that Prairie Provident Resources' profit received a boost of CA$32m in unusual items, over the last year. We can't deny that higher profits generally leave us optimistic, but we'd prefer it if the profit were to be sustainable. When we crunched the numbers on thousands of publicly listed companies, we found that a boost from unusual items in a given year is often not repeated the next year. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. We can see that Prairie Provident Resources' positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to June 2021. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items are making its statutory profit significantly stronger than it would otherwise be.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Prairie Provident Resources.

Our Take On Prairie Provident Resources' Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think the significant positive unusual item makes Prairie Provident Resources' earnings a poor guide to its underlying profitability. For this reason, we think that Prairie Provident Resources' statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. On the bright side, the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money last year. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Be aware that Prairie Provident Resources is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis and 3 of those can't be ignored...

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Prairie Provident Resources' profit. 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. 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.
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