Wienerberger AG Just Missed EPS By 40%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

It's been a good week for Wienerberger AG (VIE:WIE) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest annual results, and the shares gained 6.7% to €31.64. Statutory earnings per share fell badly short of expectations, coming in at €0.72, some 40% below analyst forecasts, although revenues were okay, approximately in line with analyst estimates at €4.5b. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Wienerberger

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from Wienerberger's eight analysts is for revenues of €4.70b in 2025. This reflects a reasonable 4.2% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to bounce 262% to €2.59. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of €4.72b and earnings per share (EPS) of €2.74 in 2025. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the small dip in their earnings per share numbers for next year.

The consensus price target held steady at €34.94, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic Wienerberger analyst has a price target of €41.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at €25.00. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Wienerberger's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2025 expected to display 4.2% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 6.5% over the past five years. Compare this to the 39 other companies in this industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 4.3% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while Wienerberger's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Happily, there were no real changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall industry. The consensus price target held steady at €34.94, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have forecasts for Wienerberger going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

It is also worth noting that we have found 5 warning signs for Wienerberger that you need to take into consideration.

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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.