L'Air Liquide S.A. (EPA:AI) Just Reported Half-Yearly Earnings: Have Analysts Changed Their Mind On The Stock?

L'Air Liquide S.A. (EPA:AI) came out with its interim results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. Revenues of €14b were in line with forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) came in below expectations at €3.12, missing estimates by 2.8%. 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. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

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Taking into account the latest results, L'Air Liquide's 19 analysts currently expect revenues in 2025 to be €27.3b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to increase 8.5% to €6.45. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of €27.4b and earnings per share (EPS) of €6.49 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.

Check out our latest analysis for L'Air Liquide

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at €196. 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 L'Air Liquide analyst has a price target of €216 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at €154. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

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. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 0.5% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 6.3% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 4.1% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - L'Air Liquide is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that L'Air Liquide's revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at €196, 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. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for L'Air Liquide going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

You can also view our analysis of L'Air Liquide's balance sheet, and whether we think L'Air Liquide is carrying too much debt, for free on our platform here.

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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.