Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' (HKG:874) Shareholders Have More To Worry About Than Only Soft Earnings

A lackluster earnings announcement from Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings Company Limited (HKG:874) last week didn't sink the stock price. Our analysis suggests that along with soft profit numbers, investors should be aware of some other underlying weaknesses in the numbers.

Check out our latest analysis for Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' profit results, we need to consider the CN¥280m gain attributed to unusual items. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. 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'. If Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings 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 Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' Profit Performance

We'd posit that Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. In further bad news, its earnings per share decreased in the last year. 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. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings and we think they deserve your attention.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Holdings' profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. 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.