Novo Nordisk A/S Just Beat Earnings Expectations: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

Last week, you might have seen that Novo Nordisk A/S (CPH:NOVO B) released its first-quarter result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 3.5% to kr.429 in the past week. The result was positive overall - although revenues of kr.78b were in line with what the analysts predicted, Novo Nordisk surprised by delivering a statutory profit of kr.6.53 per share, modestly greater than expected. 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. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Novo Nordisk after the latest results.

We've discovered 2 warning signs about Novo Nordisk. View them for free.

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Novo Nordisk from 24 analysts is for revenues of kr.340.0b in 2025. If met, it would imply a meaningful 12% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to step up 12% to kr.26.47. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of kr.344.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of kr.26.44 in 2025. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

View our latest analysis for Novo Nordisk

The analysts reconfirmed their price target of kr.691, showing that the business is executing well and in line with expectations. 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 Novo Nordisk, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at kr.1,000 and the most bearish at kr.405 per share. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.

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 period to the end of 2025 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 17% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 20% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 5.8% per year. So it's pretty clear that Novo Nordisk is forecast to grow substantially faster than its 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. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Additionally, our data suggests that revenue is expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at kr.691, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have estimates - from multiple Novo Nordisk analysts - going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Novo Nordisk .

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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.