Trinity Industries' (NYSE:TRN) Solid Profits Have Weak Fundamentals

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Last week's profit announcement from Trinity Industries, Inc. (NYSE:TRN) was underwhelming for investors, despite headline numbers being robust. Our analysis uncovered some concerning factors that we believe the market might be paying attention to.

Check out our latest analysis for Trinity Industries

earnings-and-revenue-history
NYSE:TRN Earnings and Revenue History November 8th 2024

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

Importantly, our data indicates that Trinity Industries' profit received a boost of US$77m 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 analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And that's as you'd expect, given these boosts are described as 'unusual'. If Trinity Industries 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 Trinity Industries' Profit Performance

Arguably, Trinity Industries' statutory earnings have been distorted by unusual items boosting profit. Therefore, it seems possible to us that Trinity Industries' true underlying earnings power is actually less than its statutory profit. The silver lining is that its EPS growth over the last year has been really wonderful, even if it's not a perfect measure. 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. If you'd like to know more about Trinity Industries as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Be aware that Trinity Industries is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those is potentially serious...

This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Trinity Industries' 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 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.

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