United Company RUSAL, International Public Joint-Stock Company's (HKG:486) recent earnings report didn't offer any surprises, with the shares unchanged over the last week. We did some analysis to find out why and believe that investors might be missing some encouraging factors contained in the earnings.

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How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand United Company RUSAL International's profit results, we need to consider the US$712m expense attributed 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, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. In the twelve months to December 2024, United Company RUSAL International had a big unusual items expense. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker 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 United Company RUSAL International.

Our Take On United Company RUSAL International's Profit Performance

As we mentioned previously, the United Company RUSAL International's profit was hampered by unusual items in the last year. Because of this, we think United Company RUSAL International's underlying earnings potential is as good as, or possibly even better, than the statutory profit makes it seem! And on top of that, its earnings per share have grown at an extremely impressive rate over the 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. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with United Company RUSAL International (including 2 which make us uncomfortable).

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of United Company RUSAL International'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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