Soft earnings didn't appear to concern Avery Dennison Corporation's (NYSE:AVY) shareholders over the last week. We did some digging, and we believe the earnings are stronger than they seem.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

For anyone who wants to understand Avery Dennison's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit was reduced by US$134m due to unusual items. While deductions due to unusual items are disappointing in the first instance, there is a silver lining. 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. If Avery Dennison doesn't see those unusual expenses repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to increase over the coming 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 Avery Dennison's Profit Performance

Because unusual items detracted from Avery Dennison's earnings over the last year, you could argue that we can expect an improved result in the current quarter. Because of this, we think Avery Dennison's earnings potential is at least as good as it seems, and maybe even better! 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. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Avery Dennison and you'll want to know about them.

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