Market forces rained on the parade of Witbe S.A. (EPA:ALWIT) shareholders today, when the covering analyst downgraded their forecasts for this year. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as the analyst factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously.
After the downgrade, the consensus from Witbe's single analyst is for revenues of €20m in 2025, which would reflect a considerable 10% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Losses are supposed to balloon 115% to €0.59 per share. Yet before this consensus update, the analyst had been forecasting revenues of €23m and losses of €0.17 per share in 2025. So there's been quite a change-up of views after the recent consensus updates, with the analyst making a serious cut to their revenue forecasts while also expecting losses per share to increase.
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The consensus price target fell 8.0% to €2.30, with the analyst clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook.
One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast annualised revenue decline of 10% by the end of 2025. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 4.0% 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 3.5% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Witbe is expected to lag the wider industry.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to note from this downgrade is that the consensus increased its forecast losses this year, suggesting all may not be well at Witbe. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. With a serious cut to this year's expectations and a falling price target, we wouldn't be surprised if investors were becoming wary of Witbe.
With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have analyst estimates for Witbe going out as far as 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.
Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies backed by insiders.
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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.