The Key to 3D Systems' Future Earnings: DDD

When a company is growing as quickly as 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD  ) , in an industry with tremendous promise, it can be difficult to gauge the importance of earnings. Do you ignore profit while the company builds sales? And if the quality of those earnings is difficult to assess because of recent acquisitions, should you just focus on the company's valuation versus its peers?

The short answer is that earnings always count, and even in situations where the herd is snapping up shares largely for future potential, understanding a corporation's current profit or loss can arm you with the confidence to either to jump in or pass on the opportunity. Moreover, it can illuminate which aspects of earnings will be important in the future.

A considerable GAAP
Like many other companies, 3D Systems includes non-GAAP earnings and metrics in its earnings releases and SEC filings. GAAP is an acronym for "generally accepted accounting principles," and publicly traded companies are required to file their financial statements under these guidelines, which seek to ensure that the economic reality of a company is reflected across its financial statements. Corporations are allowed to provide alternative numbers alongside GAAP earnings. According to its most recent SEC filing, 3D Systems asserts that it uses non-GAAP earnings to help investors better understand the impact that numerous acquisitions have had on the company's results.  (more)

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