A profitability trend is the evolution of profit within a business. An upward trend means that profit has generally increased over time in the short or long run. A downward profitability trend means profits are declining. Recognizing problems early in profitability trends gives you a better chance to address revenue and cost issues in play.
Profitability refers to a company's relative ability to generate a profit currently and into the future. However, a new business may not have yielded a quarterly profit, but it could have increasing profitability if its profit trend is improving.
On the contrary, an established business may have generated profit in a recent period, while its recent profitability trends call its future viability into question. In the long run, net profitability is vital to achieving for-profit business objectives. However, profit trends are often a strong sign as to big-picture profitability.