NWF Group plc (LON:NWF) Just Missed Earnings: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

NWF Group plc (LON:NWF) missed earnings with its latest yearly results, disappointing overly-optimistic forecasters. It wasn't a great result overall - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at UK£903m, statutory earnings missed forecasts by 10%, coming in at just UK£0.12 per share. 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. We've gathered the most recent statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their earnings models, following these results.

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Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for NWF Group from three analysts is for revenues of UK£1.03b in 2026. If met, it would imply a solid 14% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to bounce 34% to UK£0.17. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of UK£1.07b and earnings per share (EPS) of UK£0.17 in 2026. The consensus seems maybe a little more pessimistic, trimming their revenue forecasts after the latest results even though there was no change to its EPS estimates.

Check out our latest analysis for NWF Group

The average price target was steady at UK£2.67even though revenue estimates declined; likely suggesting the analysts place a higher value on earnings. 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. The most optimistic NWF Group analyst has a price target of UK£2.83 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at UK£2.50. Even so, with a relatively close grouping of estimates, it looks like the analysts are quite confident in their valuations, suggesting NWF Group is an easy business to forecast or the the analysts are all using similar assumptions.

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 analysts are definitely expecting NWF Group's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 14% annualised growth to the end of 2026 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 8.0% per annum over the past five years. Other similar companies in the industry (with analyst coverage) are also forecast to grow their revenue at 11% per year. NWF Group is expected to grow at about the same rate as its industry, so it's not clear that we can draw any conclusions from its growth relative to competitors.

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. Sadly, they also downgraded their revenue forecasts, but the business is still expected to grow at roughly the same rate as the industry itself. Even so, earnings are more important to the intrinsic value of the business. The consensus price target held steady at UK£2.67, 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 forecasts for NWF Group going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Another thing to consider is whether management and directors have been buying or selling stock recently. We provide an overview of all open market stock trades for the last twelve months 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.