Are Makarony Polskie's (WSE:MAK) Statutory Earnings A Good Guide To Its Underlying Profitability?

Many investors consider it preferable to invest in profitable companies over unprofitable ones, because profitability suggests a business is sustainable. However, sometimes companies receive a one-off boost (or reduction) to their profit, and it's not always clear whether statutory profits are a good guide, going forward. In this article, we'll look at how useful this year's statutory profit is, when analysing Makarony Polskie (WSE:MAK).

It's good to see that over the last twelve months Makarony Polskie made a profit of zł4.03m on revenue of zł185.0m. As you can see in the chart below, its profit has declined over the last three years, even though its revenue has increased.

Check out our latest analysis for Makarony Polskie

Not all profits are equal, and we can learn more about the nature of a company's past profitability by diving deeper into the financial statements. This article will focus on the impact unusual items have had on Makarony Polskie's statutory earnings. Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Makarony Polskie.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Makarony Polskie's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit was reduced by zł2.6m due to unusual items. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. If Makarony Polskie doesn't see those unusual expenses repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to increase over the coming year.

Our Take On Makarony Polskie's Profit Performance

Because unusual items detracted from Makarony Polskie's earnings over the last year, you could argue that we can expect an improved result in the current quarter. Based on this observation, we consider it likely that Makarony Polskie's statutory profit actually understates its earnings potential! On the other hand, its EPS actually shrunk in the last twelve months. 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. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Makarony Polskie (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Makarony Polskie's 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. 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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