Pubang Landscape Architecture Co., Ltd's (SZSE:002663) recent earnings report didn't offer any surprises, with the shares unchanged over the last week. Our analysis suggests that shareholders might be missing some positive underlying factors in the earnings report.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Pubang Landscape Architecture's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit was reduced by CN¥18m due to unusual items. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. We looked at thousands of listed companies and found that unusual items are very often one-off in nature. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. If Pubang Landscape Architecture doesn't see those unusual expenses repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to increase over the coming year.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Pubang Landscape Architecture.

Our Take On Pubang Landscape Architecture's Profit Performance

Unusual items (expenses) detracted from Pubang Landscape Architecture's earnings over the last year, but we might see an improvement next year. Based on this observation, we consider it likely that Pubang Landscape Architecture's statutory profit actually understates its earnings potential! And it's also positive that the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money last year. At the end of the day, it's essential to consider more than just the factors above, if you want to understand the company properly. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Pubang Landscape Architecture and you'll want to know about this.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Pubang Landscape Architecture'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. 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. 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.