Impressive Earnings May Not Tell The Whole Story For Tai Tung Communication (TWSE:8011)

Despite announcing strong earnings, Tai Tung Communication Co., Ltd.'s (TWSE:8011) stock was sluggish. We think that the market might be paying attention to some underlying factors that they find to be concerning.

See our latest analysis for Tai Tung Communication

One essential aspect of assessing earnings quality is to look at how much a company is diluting shareholders. In fact, Tai Tung Communication increased the number of shares on issue by 9.9% over the last twelve months by issuing new shares. Therefore, each share now receives a smaller portion of profit. To celebrate net income while ignoring dilution is like rejoicing because you have a single slice of a larger pizza, but ignoring the fact that the pizza is now cut into many more slices. Check out Tai Tung Communication's historical EPS growth by clicking on this link.

A Look At The Impact Of Tai Tung Communication's Dilution On Its Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Three years ago, Tai Tung Communication lost money. And even focusing only on the last twelve months, we don't have a meaningful growth rate because it made a loss a year ago, too. But mathematics aside, it is always good to see when a formerly unprofitable business come good (though we accept profit would have been higher if dilution had not been required). Therefore, the dilution is having a noteworthy influence on shareholder returns.

If Tai Tung Communication's EPS can grow over time then that drastically improves the chances of the share price moving in the same direction. But on the other hand, we'd be far less excited to learn profit (but not EPS) was improving. For the ordinary retail shareholder, EPS is a great measure to check your hypothetical "share" of the company's profit.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Tai Tung Communication.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

Finally, we should also consider the fact that unusual items boosted Tai Tung Communication's net profit by NT$10m over the last year. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. 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. Assuming those unusual items don't show up again in the current year, we'd thus expect profit to be weaker next year (in the absence of business growth, that is).

Our Take On Tai Tung Communication's Profit Performance

To sum it all up, Tai Tung Communication got a nice boost to profit from unusual items; without that, its statutory results would have looked worse. On top of that, the dilution means that its earnings per share performance is worse than its profit performance. Considering all this we'd argue Tai Tung Communication's profits probably give an overly generous impression of its sustainable level of profitability. 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. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for Tai Tung Communication (2 are a bit concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these bad boys before investing.

Our examination of Tai Tung Communication has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. And, on that basis, we are somewhat skeptical. 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. 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.