Shareholders Can Be Confident That Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool's (SZSE:002559) Earnings Are High Quality

Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002559) earnings announcement last week was disappointing for investors, despite the decent profit numbers. We have done some analysis and have found some comforting factors beneath the profit numbers.

See our latest analysis for Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit was reduced by CN¥29m due to unusual items. While deductions due to unusual items are disappointing in the first instance, there is a silver lining. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. In the twelve months to September 2024, Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool had a big unusual items expense. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit look worse than its underlying earnings power.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool.

An Unusual Tax Situation

Having already discussed the impact of the unusual items, we should also note that Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool received a tax benefit of CN¥19m. This is meaningful because companies usually pay tax rather than receive tax benefits. Of course, prima facie it's great to receive a tax benefit. However, the devil in the detail is that these kind of benefits only impact in the year they are booked, and are often one-off in nature. 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.

Our Take On Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool's Profit Performance

In its last report Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool received a tax benefit which might make its profit look better than it really is on a underlying level. But on the other hand, it also saw an unusual item depress its profit. Considering the aforementioned, we think that Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool's profits are probably a reasonable reflection of its underlying profitability; although we'd be confident in that conclusion if we saw a cleaner set of results. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool at this point in time. Be aware that Jiangsu Yawei Machine Tool is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, as a guide to a business. 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 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.