Here's Why We Don't Think Sunway Berhad's (KLSE:SUNWAY) Statutory Earnings Reflect Its Underlying Earnings Potential

As a general rule, we think profitable companies are less risky than companies that lose money. That said, the current statutory profit is not always a good guide to a company's underlying profitability. This article will consider whether Sunway Berhad's (KLSE:SUNWAY) statutory profits are a good guide to its underlying earnings.

We like the fact that Sunway Berhad made a profit of RM319.1m on its revenue of RM3.91b, in the last year. In the last few years both its revenue and its profit have fallen, as you can see in the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Sunway Berhad

Of course, it is only sensible to look beyond the statutory profits and question how well those numbers represent the sustainable earnings power of the business. This article will discuss how unusual items have impacted Sunway Berhad's most recent profit results. 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.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Importantly, our data indicates that Sunway Berhad's profit received a boost of RM98m in unusual items, over the last year. We can't deny that higher profits generally leave us optimistic, but we'd prefer it if the profit were to be sustainable. 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. We can see that Sunway Berhad's positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to September 2020. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items are making its statutory profit significantly stronger than it would otherwise be.

Our Take On Sunway Berhad's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think the significant positive unusual item makes Sunway Berhad'searnings a poor guide to its underlying profitability. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Sunway Berhad's underlying earnings power is lower 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. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. For example, Sunway Berhad has 3 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Sunway Berhad'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. 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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