Last week's earnings announcement from Binhai Investment Company Limited (HKG:2886) was disappointing to investors, with a sluggish profit figure. We did some analysis, and found that there are some reasons to be cautious about the headline numbers.

Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Binhai Investment. Read for free now.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Binhai Investment's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from HK$32m 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. 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. 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 Binhai Investment's Profit Performance

Arguably, Binhai Investment's statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Binhai Investment's true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. In further bad news, its earnings per share decreased in the 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. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. For example, Binhai Investment has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Binhai Investment'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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.