Stock Analysis

Analyst Estimates: Here's What Brokers Think Of Alstom SA (EPA:ALO) After Its Half-Year Report

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ENXTPA:ALO

It's been a pretty great week for Alstom SA (EPA:ALO) shareholders, with its shares surging 13% to €22.73 in the week since its latest half-year results. It was an okay result overall, with revenues coming in at €8.8b, roughly what the analysts had been expecting. 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 Alstom

ENXTPA:ALO Earnings and Revenue Growth November 17th 2024

Following last week's earnings report, Alstom's 14 analysts are forecasting 2025 revenues to be €18.2b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Earnings are expected to improve, with Alstom forecast to report a statutory profit of €0.63 per share. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of €18.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of €0.64 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.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at €22.46. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on Alstom, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at €33.00 and the most bearish at €8.00 per share. We would probably assign less value to the analyst forecasts in this situation, because such a wide range of estimates could imply that the future of this business is difficult to value accurately. As a result it might not be a great idea to make decisions based on the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Alstom's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2025 expected to display 2.8% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 19% over the past five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 4.9% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Alstom is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

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. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at €22.46, 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 Alstom analysts - going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Before you take the next step you should know about the 1 warning sign for Alstom that we have uncovered.

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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.