Following the solid earnings report from Founder Technology Group Co.,Ltd. (SHSE:600601), the market responded by bidding up the stock price. However, we think that shareholders should be cautious as we found some worrying factors underlying the profit.

See our latest analysis for Founder Technology GroupLtd

In order to understand the potential for per share returns, it is essential to consider how much a company is diluting shareholders. As it happens, Founder Technology GroupLtd issued 90% more new shares over the last year. As a result, its net income is now split between a greater number of shares. To celebrate net income while ignoring dilution is like rejoicing because you have a single slice of a larger pizza, but ignoring the fact that the pizza is now cut into many more slices. Check out Founder Technology GroupLtd's historical EPS growth by clicking on this link.

A Look At The Impact Of Founder Technology GroupLtd's Dilution On Its Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Founder Technology GroupLtd was losing money three years ago. And even focusing only on the last twelve months, we don't have a meaningful growth rate because it made a loss a year ago, too. What we do know is that while it's great to see a profit over the last twelve months, that profit would have been better, on a per share basis, if the company hadn't needed to issue shares. And so, you can see quite clearly that dilution is having a rather significant impact on shareholders.

If Founder Technology GroupLtd's EPS can grow over time then that drastically improves the chances of the share price moving in the same direction. 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.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Founder Technology GroupLtd.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

On top of the dilution, we should also consider the CN¥182m impact of unusual items in the last year, which had the effect of suppressing profit. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And that's hardly a surprise given these line items are considered unusual. In the twelve months to September 2023, Founder Technology GroupLtd had a big unusual items expense. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit look worse than its underlying earnings power.

Our Take On Founder Technology GroupLtd's Profit Performance

To sum it all up, Founder Technology GroupLtd took a hit from unusual items which pushed its profit down; without that, it would have made more money. 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 Founder Technology GroupLtd's profits are an apt reflection of its underlying potential for profit. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Founder Technology GroupLtd (1 can't be ignored) you should be familiar with.

Our examination of Founder Technology GroupLtd has focussed on certain factors that can make its earnings look better than they are. 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. 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 that insiders are buying 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.