Adient plc's (NYSE:ADNT) earnings announcement last week didn't impress shareholders. However, our analysis suggests that the soft headline numbers are getting counterbalanced by some positive underlying factors.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Adient's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit was reduced by US$169m due 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 that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. Adient took a rather significant hit from unusual items in the year to September 2024. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker than it would otherwise be.

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 Adient's Profit Performance

As we mentioned previously, the Adient's profit was hampered by unusual items in the last year. Because of this, we think Adient's underlying earnings potential is as good as, or possibly even better, than the statutory profit makes it seem! Unfortunately, though, its earnings per share actually fell back over the last year. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. If you want to do dive deeper into Adient, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. When we did our research, we found 3 warning signs for Adient (1 can't be ignored!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Adient'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.

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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.