Österreichische Post AG Beat Revenue Forecasts By 8.6%: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting Next

Österreichische Post AG (VIE:POST) just released its quarterly report and things are looking bullish. Results were good overall, with revenues beating analyst predictions by 8.6% to hit €747m. Statutory earnings per share (EPS) came in at €0.53, some 5.9% above whatthe analysts had expected. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

View our latest analysis for Österreichische Post

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Österreichische Post's three analysts is for revenues of €3.15b in 2024. This would reflect a reasonable 5.8% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory per share are forecast to be €1.98, approximately in line with the last 12 months. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of €2.89b and earnings per share (EPS) of €1.99 in 2024. So it looks like there's been no major change in sentiment following the latest results, although the analysts have made a small lift in to revenue forecasts.

Even though revenue forecasts increased, there was no change to the consensus price target of €29.68, suggesting the analysts are focused on earnings as the driver of value creation. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on Österreichische Post, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at €33.30 and the most bearish at €26.70 per share. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or thatthe analysts have a strong view on its prospects.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting Österreichische Post's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 12% annualised growth to the end of 2024 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 7.4% per annum over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 2.9% per year. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Österreichische Post to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Happily, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, and are forecasting them to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at €29.68, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. We have estimates - from multiple Österreichische Post analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Österreichische Post that you should be aware of.

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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.