Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's (NASDAQ:APWC) Shareholders May Want To Dig Deeper Than Statutory Profit

The market for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited's (NASDAQ:APWC) stock was strong after it released a healthy earnings report last week. While the profit numbers were good, our analysis has found some concerning factors that shareholders should be aware of.

See our latest analysis for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

To properly understand Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's profit results, we need to consider the US$643k gain attributed to 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. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. And that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. 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).

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Asia Pacific Wire & Cable.

Our Take On Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's Profit Performance

We'd posit that Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Because of this, we think that it may be that Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. The good news is that it earned a profit in the last twelve months, despite its previous loss. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. 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. When we did our research, we found 2 warning signs for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable (1 can't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Asia Pacific Wire & Cable'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. 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. 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.