Isras Investment (TLV:ISRS) Is Growing Earnings But Are They A Good Guide?

Statistically speaking, it is less risky to invest in profitable companies than in unprofitable ones. That said, the current statutory profit is not always a good guide to a company's underlying profitability. Today we'll focus on whether this year's statutory profits are a good guide to understanding Isras Investment (TLV:ISRS).

We like the fact that Isras Investment made a profit of ₪546.5m on its revenue of ₪514.5m, in the last year. Happily, it has grown both its profit and revenue over the last three years (though we note its revenue is down over the last year).

Check out our latest analysis for Isras Investment

Of course, when it comes to statutory profit, the devil is often in the detail, and we can get a better sense for a company by diving deeper into the financial statements. This article will discuss how unusual items have impacted Isras Investment's most recent profit results. Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Isras Investment.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Importantly, our data indicates that Isras Investment's profit received a boost of ₪455m in unusual items, over the last year. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. We can see that Isras Investment's positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to September 2020. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit a poor guide to underlying earnings power.

Our Take On Isras Investment's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think the significant positive unusual item makes Isras Investment'searnings a poor guide to its underlying profitability. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Isras Investment's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But on the bright side, its earnings per share have grown at an extremely impressive rate over the last three years. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. If you'd like to know more about Isras Investment as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Be aware that Isras Investment is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Isras Investment's 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 that insiders are buying.

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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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