Shandong Daye (SHSE:603278) Posted Healthy Earnings But There Are Some Other Factors To Be Aware Of

Last week's profit announcement from Shandong Daye Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603278) was underwhelming for investors, despite headline numbers being robust. We did some digging and found some worrying underlying problems.

View our latest analysis for Shandong Daye

One essential aspect of assessing earnings quality is to look at how much a company is diluting shareholders. In fact, Shandong Daye increased the number of shares on issue by 18% over the last twelve months by issuing new shares. Therefore, each share now receives a smaller portion of profit. To talk about net income, without noticing earnings per share, is to be distracted by the big numbers while ignoring the smaller numbers that talk to per share value. You can see a chart of Shandong Daye's EPS by clicking here.

A Look At The Impact Of Shandong Daye's Dilution On Its Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Unfortunately, we don't have any visibility into its profits three years back, because we lack the data. Zooming in to the last year, we still can't talk about growth rates coherently, since it made a loss last year. But mathematics aside, it is always good to see when a formerly unprofitable business come good (though we accept profit would have been higher if dilution had not been required). And so, you can see quite clearly that dilution is influencing shareholder earnings.

In the long term, if Shandong Daye's earnings per share can increase, then the share price should too. However, if its profit increases while its earnings per share stay flat (or even fall) then shareholders might not see much benefit. For that reason, you could say that EPS is more important that net income in the long run, assuming the goal is to assess whether a company's share price might grow.

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 Shandong Daye's Profit Performance

Shandong Daye issued shares during the year, and that means its EPS performance lags its net income growth. Because of this, we think that it may be that Shandong Daye's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. The good news is that it earned a profit in the last twelve months, despite its previous loss. 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. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Shandong Daye.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Shandong Daye's 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.