The market for Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology Co., Ltd.'s (SHSE:600458) stock was strong after it released a healthy earnings report last week. However, we think that shareholders should be cautious as we found some worrying factors underlying the profit.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Importantly, our data indicates that Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology's profit received a boost of CN¥68m in unusual items, over the last year. 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 Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology's Profit Performance

Arguably, Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology's statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Because of this, we think that it may be that Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. Nonetheless, it's still worth noting that its earnings per share have grown at 17% over the last three years. 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. If you want to do dive deeper into Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology you should be aware of.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology'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. 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.