Are GEE Group's (NYSEMKT:JOB) Statutory Earnings A Good Guide To Its Underlying Profitability?

It might be old fashioned, but we really like to invest in companies that make a profit, each and every year. That said, the current statutory profit is not always a good guide to a company's underlying profitability. In this article, we'll look at how useful this year's statutory profit is, when analysing GEE Group (NYSEMKT:JOB).

While GEE Group was able to generate revenue of US$129.8m in the last twelve months, we think its profit result of US$10.1m was more important. Even though revenue is down over the last three years, you can see in the chart below that the company has moved from loss-making to profitable.

See our latest analysis for GEE Group

Of course, it is only sensible to look beyond the statutory profits and question how well those numbers represent the sustainable earnings power of the business. In this article we'll look at how GEE Group is impacting shareholders by issuing new shares, as well as how unusual items have affected the income line. That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

In order to understand the potential for per share returns, it is essential to consider how much a company is diluting shareholders. As it happens, GEE Group issued 35% more new shares over the last year. Therefore, each share now receives a smaller portion of profit. Per share metrics like EPS help us understand how much actual shareholders are benefitting from the company's profits, while the net income level gives us a better view of the company's absolute size. Check out GEE Group's historical EPS growth by clicking on this link.

How Is Dilution Impacting GEE Group's Earnings Per Share? (EPS)

GEE Group was losing money three years ago. 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. What we do know is that while it's great to see a profit over the last twelve months, that profit would have been better, on a per share basis, if the company hadn't needed to issue shares. And so, you can see quite clearly that dilution is having a rather significant impact on shareholders.

If GEE Group's EPS can grow over time then that drastically improves the chances of the share price moving in the same direction. However, if its profit increases while its earnings per share stay flat (or even fall) then shareholders might not see much benefit. For that reason, you could say that EPS is more important that net income in the long run, assuming the goal is to assess whether a company's share price might grow.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Alongside that dilution, it's also important to note that GEE Group's profit suffered from unusual items, which reduced profit by US$811k in the last twelve months. 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. GEE Group took a rather significant hit from unusual items in the year to September 2020. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker than it would otherwise be.

Our Take On GEE Group's Profit Performance

To sum it all up, GEE Group took a hit from unusual items which pushed its profit down; without that, it would have made more money. But on the other hand, the company issued more shares, so without buying more shares each shareholder will end up with a smaller part of the profit. After taking into account all these factors, we think that GEE Group's statutory results are a decent reflection of its underlying earnings power. 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. Be aware that GEE Group is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis and 2 of those are a bit concerning...

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, as a guide to a business. 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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