Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Just Beat Analyst Forecasts, And Analysts Have Been Updating Their Predictions

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (TSE:WPM) just released its latest first-quarter results and things are looking bullish. Wheaton Precious Metals beat earnings, with revenues hitting US$297m, ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share outperforming analyst reckonings by a solid 10%. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Wheaton Precious Metals

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Wheaton Precious Metals' twelve analysts is for revenues of US$1.22b in 2024. This would reflect a meaningful 11% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to sink 11% to US$1.16 in the same period. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$1.21b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.21 in 2024. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts.

The consensus price target held steady at CA$82.48, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Wheaton Precious Metals at CA$90.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at CA$75.77. 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.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Wheaton Precious Metals' past performance and to peers in the same industry. It's clear from the latest estimates that Wheaton Precious Metals' rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 15% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2024 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 3.9% p.a. over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 12% annually. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Wheaton Precious Metals is expected to grow much faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Wheaton Precious Metals. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at CA$82.48, 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 estimates - from multiple Wheaton Precious Metals analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You can also see our analysis of Wheaton Precious Metals' Board and CEO remuneration and experience, and whether company insiders have been buying stock.

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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.