Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited's (HKG:858) healthy profit numbers didn't contain any surprises for investors. However the statutory profit number doesn't tell the whole story, and we have found some factors which might be of concern to shareholders.

See our latest analysis for Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from HK$169m worth of unusual items. While it's always nice to have higher profit, a large contribution from unusual items sometimes dampens our enthusiasm. 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. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. We can see that Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' positive unusual items were quite significant relative to its profit in the year to March 2022. All else being equal, this would likely have the effect of making the statutory profit a poor guide to underlying earnings power.

Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings.

Our Take On Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' Profit Performance

As previously mentioned, Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' large boost from unusual items won't be there indefinitely, so its statutory earnings are probably a poor guide to its underlying profitability. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. On the bright side, the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money 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. Be aware that Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Extrawell Pharmaceutical Holdings' profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. 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. 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.