There is one line where a loss can hide for years. If you own the stock, you find out last

Every rupee a company spends has to be accounted for somewhere. A cost may be charged as an expense and reduce current profit, or it may be capitalised and shown as an asset on the balance sheet, not affecting current year’s profit. That choice can change how profitable and financially strong a company appears. It is also where capitalisation and capital work-in-progress, or CWIP, can become a source of accounting manipulation.

Raccontata daeconomictimes.indiatimes.com