Does Chinney Alliance Group's (HKG:385) Statutory Profit Adequately Reflect Its Underlying Profit?

Broadly speaking, profitable businesses are less risky than unprofitable ones. Having said that, sometimes statutory profit levels are not a good guide to ongoing profitability, because some short term one-off factor has impacted profit levels. Today we'll focus on whether this year's statutory profits are a good guide to understanding Chinney Alliance Group (HKG:385).

It's good to see that over the last twelve months Chinney Alliance Group made a profit of HK$98.5m on revenue of HK$4.94b. In the last few years its profit has fallen, although its revenue was steady, as you can see in the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Chinney Alliance Group

Importantly, statutory profits are not always the best tool for understanding a company's true earnings power, so it's well worth examining profits in a little more detail. This article will focus on the impact unusual items have had on Chinney Alliance Group's statutory earnings. Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Chinney Alliance Group.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Chinney Alliance Group's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from HK$14m 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 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. 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).

Our Take On Chinney Alliance Group's Profit Performance

Arguably, Chinney Alliance Group's statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Chinney Alliance Group's true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. In further bad news, its earnings per share decreased in the last year. 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. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Chinney Alliance Group (including 1 which can't be ignored).

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Chinney Alliance Group's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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 that insiders are buying to be useful.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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