Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's (SHSE:600820) Problems Go Beyond Weak Profit

A lackluster earnings announcement from Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd. (SHSE:600820) last week didn't sink the stock price. However, we believe that investors should be aware of some underlying factors which may be of concern.

View our latest analysis for Shanghai Tunnel Engineering

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from CN¥271m worth of unusual items. We can't deny that higher profits generally leave us optimistic, but we'd prefer it if the profit were to be sustainable. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. And that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. Assuming those unusual items don't show up again in the current year, we'd thus expect profit to be weaker next year (in the absence of business growth, that is).

That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

Our Take On Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's Profit Performance

We'd posit that Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. Nonetheless, it's still worth noting that its earnings per share have grown at 24% over the last three years. 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. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Shanghai Tunnel Engineering (1 is a bit concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Shanghai Tunnel Engineering's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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 with high insider ownership.

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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.