We Wouldn't Rely On GeoVision's (TPE:3356) Statutory Earnings As A Guide

Many investors consider it preferable to invest in profitable companies over unprofitable ones, because profitability suggests a business is sustainable. Having said that, sometimes statutory profit levels are not a good guide to ongoing profitability, because some short term one-off factor has impacted profit levels. In this article, we'll look at how useful this year's statutory profit is, when analysing GeoVision (TPE:3356).

It's good to see that over the last twelve months GeoVision made a profit of NT$40.8m on revenue of NT$1.18b. The chart below shows that while revenue has fallen over the last three years, the company has moved from unprofitable to profitable.

See our latest analysis for GeoVision

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. As a reuslt, we think it's important to consider how unusual items and the recent tax benefit have influenced GeoVision's statutory profit. Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of GeoVision.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand GeoVision's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from NT$95m 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. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. We can see that GeoVision'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.

An Unusual Tax Situation

Just as we noted the unusual items, we must inform you that GeoVision received a tax benefit which contributed NT$3.3m to the bottom line. This is of course a bit out of the ordinary, given it is more common for companies to be paying tax than receiving tax benefits! Of course, prima facie it's great to receive a tax benefit. However, the devil in the detail is that these kind of benefits only impact in the year they are booked, and are often one-off in nature. In the likely event the tax benefit is not repeated, we'd expect to see its statutory profit levels drop, at least in the absence of strong growth. While we think it's good that the company has booked a tax benefit, it does mean that there's every chance the statutory profit will come in a lot higher than it would be if the income was adjusted for one-off factors.

Our Take On GeoVision's Profit Performance

In the last year GeoVision received a tax benefit, which boosted its profit in a way that might not be much more sustainable than turning prime farmland into gas fields. Furthermore, it also benefitted from a positive unusual item, which boosted the profit result even higher. Considering all this we'd argue GeoVision's profits probably give an overly generous impression of its sustainable level of profitability. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing GeoVision at this point in time. For example, GeoVision has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, and we've come away cautious. 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 that insiders are buying to be useful.

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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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