Solid Earnings May Not Tell The Whole Story For CITIC Resources Holdings (HKG:1205)

CITIC Resources Holdings Limited's (HKG:1205) robust recent earnings didn't do much to move the stock. We believe that shareholders have noticed some concerning factors beyond the statutory profit numbers.

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How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand CITIC Resources Holdings' profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from HK$47m worth of unusual items. While it's always nice to have higher profit, a large contribution from unusual items sometimes dampens our enthusiasm. When we crunched the numbers on thousands of publicly listed companies, we found that a boost from unusual items in a given year is often not repeated the next year. 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).

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of CITIC Resources Holdings.

Our Take On CITIC Resources Holdings' Profit Performance

Arguably, CITIC Resources Holdings' statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Therefore, it seems possible to us that CITIC Resources Holdings' true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. And we are pleased to note that EPS is at least heading in the right direction in the alst twelve months. At the end of the day, it's essential to consider more than just the factors above, if you want to understand the company properly. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of CITIC Resources Holdings.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of CITIC Resources Holdings' 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. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.

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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.