Unsurprisingly, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company's (NYSE:HPE) stock price was strong on the back of its healthy earnings report. We did some analysis and think that investors are missing some details hidden beneath the profit numbers.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

To properly understand Hewlett Packard Enterprise's profit results, we need to consider the US$412m gain attributed to unusual items. While we like to see profit increases, we tend to be a little more cautious when unusual items have made a big contribution. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. And that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. If Hewlett Packard Enterprise doesn't see that contribution repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to drop over the current year.

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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Profit Performance

We'd posit that Hewlett Packard Enterprise's statutory earnings aren't a clean read on ongoing productivity, due to the large unusual item. Because of this, we think that it may be that Hewlett Packard Enterprise's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. But at least holders can take some solace from the 25% EPS growth in 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. If you'd like to know more about Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. You'd be interested to know, that we found 1 warning sign for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and you'll want to know about this.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's profit. 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.