Investors were disappointed with Bestechnic (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:688608) earnings, despite the strong profit numbers. Our analysis uncovered some concerning factors that we believe the market might be paying attention to.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Bestechnic (Shanghai)'s profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from CN¥29m worth of 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. When we crunched the numbers on thousands of publicly listed companies, we found that a boost from unusual items in a given year is often not repeated the next year. 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).

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 Bestechnic (Shanghai)'s Profit Performance

Arguably, Bestechnic (Shanghai)'s statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Because of this, we think that it may be that Bestechnic (Shanghai)'s statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. The silver lining is that its EPS growth over the last year has been really wonderful, even if it's not a perfect measure. 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. If you want to do dive deeper into Bestechnic (Shanghai), you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Bestechnic (Shanghai).

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Bestechnic (Shanghai)'s profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. 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 with high insider ownership.

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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.