Stock Analysis

Atul Ltd Beat Analyst Estimates: See What The Consensus Is Forecasting For This Year

Published
NSEI:ATUL

Atul Ltd (NSE:ATUL) defied analyst predictions to release its second-quarter results, which were ahead of market expectations. Atul beat earnings, with revenues hitting ₹14b, ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share outperforming analyst reckonings by a solid 12%. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Atul

NSEI:ATUL Earnings and Revenue Growth October 29th 2024

After the latest results, the eleven analysts covering Atul are now predicting revenues of ₹55.3b in 2025. If met, this would reflect a meaningful 9.2% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to shoot up 42% to ₹182. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of ₹54.5b and earnings per share (EPS) of ₹174 in 2025. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target rose 8.3% to ₹7,821, suggesting that higher earnings estimates flow through to the stock's valuation as well. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. There are some variant perceptions on Atul, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at ₹9,951 and the most bearish at ₹5,268 per share. 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.

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. It's clear from the latest estimates that Atul's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 19% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2025 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 6.3% p.a. over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 13% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Atul is expected to grow much faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Atul's earnings potential next year. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Additionally, our data suggests that revenue is expected to grow faster than the wider industry. We note an upgrade to the price target, suggesting that the analysts believes the intrinsic value of the business is likely to improve over time.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Atul. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have estimates - from multiple Atul analysts - going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 1 warning sign for Atul that you need to be mindful of.

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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.