Weak Statutory Earnings May Not Tell The Whole Story For Nishi-Nippon Railroad (TSE:9031)

The subdued market reaction suggests that Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd.'s (TSE:9031) recent earnings didn't contain any surprises. Our analysis suggests that along with soft profit numbers, investors should be aware of some other underlying weaknesses in the numbers.

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How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

Importantly, our data indicates that Nishi-Nippon Railroad's profit received a boost of JP¥2.1b in unusual items, over the last year. 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. If Nishi-Nippon Railroad 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 Nishi-Nippon Railroad's Profit Performance

We'd posit that Nishi-Nippon Railroad's statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Nishi-Nippon Railroad's true underlying earnings power is actually less 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. 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. If you'd like to know more about Nishi-Nippon Railroad as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Be aware that Nishi-Nippon Railroad is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 2 of those are concerning...

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Nishi-Nippon Railroad'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 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.