Pacira BioSciences, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PCRX) stock was strong after they recently reported robust earnings. However, we think that shareholders may be missing some concerning details in the numbers.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Importantly, our data indicates that Pacira BioSciences' profit received a boost of US$11m in unusual items, over the last year. 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. Assuming those unusual items don't show up again in the current year, we'd thus expect profit to be weaker next year (in the absence of business growth, that is).

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 Pacira BioSciences' Profit Performance

Arguably, Pacira BioSciences' statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Because of this, we think that it may be that Pacira BioSciences' statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. On the bright side, the company showed enough improvement to book a profit this year, after losing money last year. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. If you want to do dive deeper into Pacira BioSciences, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Pacira BioSciences has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore this.

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Pacira BioSciences' profit. 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. 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.