Additional Considerations Required While Assessing First Sponsor Group's (SGX:ADN) Strong Earnings

Despite posting some strong earnings, the market for First Sponsor Group Limited's (SGX:ADN) stock hasn't moved much. We did some digging, and we found some concerning factors in the details.

See our latest analysis for First Sponsor Group

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand First Sponsor Group's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from S$51m worth of unusual items. 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 that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. We can see that First Sponsor Group's positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year 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 First Sponsor Group.

Our Take On First Sponsor Group's Profit Performance

As previously mentioned, First Sponsor Group's 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 First Sponsor Group's statutory profits may be a bad guide to its underlying earnings power, and might give investors an overly positive impression of the company. The silver lining is that its EPS growth over the last year has been really wonderful, even if it's not a perfect measure. 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 First Sponsor Group as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for First Sponsor Group (of which 2 make us uncomfortable!) you should know about.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of First Sponsor Group'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. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.

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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.