Zhejiang Huamei Holding CO., LTD.'s (SZSE:000607) stock wasn't much affected by its recent lackluster earnings numbers. Our analysis suggests that they may be missing some concerning details underlying the profit numbers.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Zhejiang Huamei Holding's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from CN¥23m worth of unusual items. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. We can see that Zhejiang Huamei Holding's positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to March 2024. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items are making its statutory profit significantly stronger than it would otherwise be.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Zhejiang Huamei Holding.

An Unusual Tax Situation

Having already discussed the impact of the unusual items, we should also note that Zhejiang Huamei Holding received a tax benefit of CN¥8.8m. This is of course a bit out of the ordinary, given it is more common for companies to be paying tax than receiving tax benefits! We're sure the company was pleased with its tax benefit. However, the devil in the detail is that these kind of benefits only impact in the year they are booked, and are often one-off in nature. In the likely event the tax benefit is not repeated, we'd expect to see its statutory profit levels drop, at least in the absence of strong growth. While we think it's good that the company has booked a tax benefit, it does mean that there's every chance the statutory profit will come in a lot higher than it would be if the income was adjusted for one-off factors.

Our Take On Zhejiang Huamei Holding's Profit Performance

In its last report Zhejiang Huamei Holding received a tax benefit which might make its profit look better than it really is on a underlying level. Furthermore, it also benefitted from a positive unusual item, which boosted the profit result even higher. Considering all this we'd argue Zhejiang Huamei Holding's profits probably give an overly generous impression of its sustainable level of profitability. If you'd like to know more about Zhejiang Huamei Holding as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Zhejiang Huamei Holding you should know about.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, and we've come away cautious. 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 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.