Analyst Estimates: Here's What Brokers Think Of Air France-KLM SA (EPA:AF) After Its Annual Report

Air France-KLM SA (EPA:AF) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 8.0% to €4.04 in the week after its latest yearly results. Overall the results were a little better than the analysts were expecting, with revenues beating forecasts by 2.3%to hit €14b. 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.

View our latest analysis for Air France-KLM

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from Air France-KLM's 19 analysts is for revenues of €21.5b in 2022, which would reflect a substantial 50% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Losses are predicted to fall substantially, shrinking 84% to €0.86. Before this latest report, the consensus had been expecting revenues of €21.3b and €0.96 per share in losses. While the revenue estimates were largely unchanged, sentiment seems to have improved, with the analysts upgrading revenues and making a favorable reduction in losses per share in particular.

There's been no major changes to the consensus price target of €3.28, suggesting that reduced loss estimates are not enough to have a long-term positive impact on the stock's valuation. 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. The most optimistic Air France-KLM analyst has a price target of €5.20 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at €1.00. As you can see the range of estimates is wide, with the lowest valuation coming in at less than half the most bullish estimate, suggesting there are some strongly diverging views on how analysts think this business will perform. With this in mind, we wouldn't rely too heavily the consensus price target, as it is just an average and analysts clearly have some deeply divergent views on the business.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. For example, we noticed that Air France-KLM's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with revenues forecast to exhibit 50% growth to the end of 2022 on an annualised basis. That is well above its historical decline of 15% a year over the past five years. Compare this against analyst estimates for the broader industry, which suggest that (in aggregate) industry revenues are expected to grow 27% annually. Not only are Air France-KLM's revenues expected to improve, it seems that the analysts are also expecting it to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts reconfirmed their loss per share estimates for next year. 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 €3.28, 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 Air France-KLM going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here..

And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Air France-KLM you should know about.

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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.