Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha's (TSE:9101) Promising Earnings May Rest On Soft Foundations

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (TSE:9101) just reported some strong earnings, and the market reacted accordingly with a healthy uplift in the share price. We did some analysis and think that investors are missing some details hidden beneath the profit numbers.

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

How Do Unusual Items Influence Profit?

For anyone who wants to understand Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha's profit beyond the statutory numbers, it's important to note that during the last twelve months statutory profit gained from JP¥25b worth of unusual items. We can't deny that higher profits generally leave us optimistic, but we'd prefer it if the profit were to be sustainable. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. 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 Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha's Profit Performance

We'd posit that Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha'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 Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. But the happy news is that, while acknowledging we have to look beyond the statutory numbers, those numbers are still improving, with EPS growing at a very high rate over the 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. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant).

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha'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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.