Tianjin Development Holdings' (HKG:882) Sluggish Earnings Might Be Just The Beginning Of Its Problems

Tianjin Development Holdings Limited's (HKG:882) recent weak earnings report didn't cause a big stock movement. We think that investors are worried about some weaknesses underlying the earnings.

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The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

To properly understand Tianjin Development Holdings' profit results, we need to consider the HK$419m gain attributed to 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'. Tianjin Development Holdings had a rather significant contribution from unusual items relative to its profit to December 2024. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit a poor guide to underlying earnings power.

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

Our Take On Tianjin Development Holdings' Profit Performance

As previously mentioned, Tianjin Development Holdings' large boost from unusual items won't be there indefinitely, so its statutory earnings are probably a poor guide to its underlying profitability. For this reason, we think that Tianjin Development Holdings' statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. But at least holders can take some solace from the 10% per annum growth in EPS for the last three. 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. If you want to do dive deeper into Tianjin Development Holdings, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example - Tianjin Development Holdings has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Tianjin Development Holdings' profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. 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. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with high insider ownership.

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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.