We Think That There Are More Issues For A-Mark Precious Metals (NASDAQ:AMRK) Than Just Sluggish Earnings
Despite A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMRK) recent earnings report having lackluster headline numbers, the market responded positively. While shareholders may be willing to overlook soft profit numbers, we believe that they should also be taking into account some other factors which may be cause for concern.
Check out our latest analysis for A-Mark Precious Metals
The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit
Importantly, our data indicates that A-Mark Precious Metals' profit received a boost of US$14m 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. We ran the numbers on most publicly listed companies worldwide, and it's very common for unusual items to be once-off in nature. Which is hardly surprising, given the name. If A-Mark Precious Metals 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 A-Mark Precious Metals' Profit Performance
We'd posit that A-Mark Precious Metals' 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 A-Mark Precious Metals' statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. In further bad news, its earnings per share decreased 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. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for A-Mark Precious Metals you should be mindful of and 1 of these is a bit concerning.
Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of A-Mark Precious Metals' 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.