There May Be Underlying Issues With The Quality Of FormFactor's (NASDAQ:FORM) Earnings

Last week's profit announcement from FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM) was underwhelming for investors, despite headline numbers being robust. Our analysis uncovered some concerning factors that we believe the market might be paying attention to.

Check out our latest analysis for FormFactor

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand FormFactor's profit results, we need to consider the US$91m 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. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. FormFactor had a rather significant contribution from unusual items relative to its profit to June 2024. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit a poor guide to underlying earnings power.

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.

Our Take On FormFactor's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think the significant positive unusual item makes FormFactor's earnings a poor guide to its underlying profitability. As a result, we think it may well be the case that FormFactor's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. On the bright side, the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money last year. 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. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for FormFactor you should be aware of.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of FormFactor's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. Some people consider a high return on equity to be a good sign of a quality business. 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.