SergeFerrari Group's (EPA:SEFER) Shareholders Have More To Worry About Than Only Soft Earnings

SergeFerrari Group SA's (EPA:SEFER) recent weak earnings report didn't cause a big stock movement. However, we believe that investors should be aware of some underlying factors which may be of concern.

See our latest analysis for SergeFerrari Group

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand SergeFerrari Group's profit results, we need to consider the €2.2m gain attributed to 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. 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. If SergeFerrari Group doesn't see that contribution repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to drop over the current year.

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 SergeFerrari Group's Profit Performance

We'd posit that SergeFerrari Group's statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Therefore, it seems possible to us that SergeFerrari Group's true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. But on the bright side, its earnings per share have grown at an extremely impressive rate over the last three years. 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. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for SergeFerrari Group (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of SergeFerrari Group'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.