Shareholders appeared unconcerned with Bruker Corporation's (NASDAQ:BRKR) lackluster earnings report last week. We did some digging, and we believe the earnings are stronger than they seem.

View our latest analysis for Bruker

To understand the value of a company's earnings growth, it is imperative to consider any dilution of shareholders' interests. As it happens, Bruker issued 9.5% more new shares over the last year. That means its earnings are split among a greater number of shares. Per share metrics like EPS help us understand how much actual shareholders are benefitting from the company's profits, while the net income level gives us a better view of the company's absolute size. You can see a chart of Bruker's EPS by clicking here.

How Is Dilution Impacting Bruker's Earnings Per Share (EPS)?

Unfortunately, Bruker's profit is down 59% per year over three years. And even focusing only on the last twelve months, we see profit is down 74%. Sadly, earnings per share fell further, down a full 74% in that time. Therefore, the dilution is having a noteworthy influence on shareholder returns.

In the long term, if Bruker's earnings per share can increase, then the share price should too. But on the other hand, we'd be far less excited to learn profit (but not EPS) was improving. For the ordinary retail shareholder, EPS is a great measure to check your hypothetical "share" of the company's profit.

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.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

Alongside that dilution, it's also important to note that Bruker's profit suffered from unusual items, which reduced profit by US$66m in the last twelve months. While deductions due to unusual items are disappointing in the first instance, there is a silver lining. 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. Assuming those unusual expenses don't come up again, we'd therefore expect Bruker to produce a higher profit next year, all else being equal.

Our Take On Bruker's Profit Performance

Bruker suffered from unusual items which depressed its profit in its last report; if that is not repeated then profit should be higher, all else being equal. But on the other hand, the company issued more shares, so without buying more shares each shareholder will end up with a smaller part of the profit. Given the contrasting considerations, we don't have a strong view as to whether Bruker's profits are an apt reflection of its underlying potential for profit. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. For example, Bruker has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

In this article we've looked at a number of factors that can impair the utility of profit numbers, as a guide to a business. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. 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.