Some Investors May Be Willing To Look Past STV Group's (LON:STVG) Soft Earnings

The market was pleased with the recent earnings report from STV Group plc (LON:STVG), despite the profit numbers being soft. We think that investors might be looking at some positive factors beyond the earnings numbers.

View our latest analysis for STV Group

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand STV Group's profit results, we need to consider the UK£6.0m expense attributed to unusual items. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. We looked at thousands of listed companies and found that unusual items are very often one-off in nature. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. In the twelve months to December 2023, STV Group 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.

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.

An Unusual Tax Situation

Having already discussed the impact of the unusual items, we should also note that STV Group received a tax benefit of UK£5.3m. This is of course a bit out of the ordinary, given it is more common for companies to be paying tax than receiving tax benefits! The receipt of a tax benefit is obviously a good thing, on its own. 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. Assuming the tax benefit is not repeated every year, we could see its profitability drop noticeably, all else being equal. So while we think it's great to receive a tax benefit, it does tend to imply an increased risk that the statutory profit overstates the sustainable earnings power of the business.

Our Take On STV Group's Profit Performance

In its last report STV Group 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 all the aforementioned, we'd venture that STV Group's profit result is a pretty good guide to its true profitability, albeit a bit on the conservative side. 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 5 warning signs (3 don't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in STV Group.

Our examination of STV Group has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. 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.