Bharti Airtel Limited Just Missed EPS By 13%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

Shareholders might have noticed that Bharti Airtel Limited (NSE:BHARTIARTL) filed its quarterly result this time last week. The early response was not positive, with shares down 3.1% to ₹1,633 in the past week. It was not a great result overall. While revenues of ₹415b were in line with analyst predictions, earnings were less than expected, missing statutory estimates by 13% to hit ₹6.00 per share. 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 collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Bharti Airtel

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Bharti Airtel's 33 analysts is for revenues of ₹1.68t in 2025. This would reflect a solid 8.0% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to jump 62% to ₹32.62. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of ₹1.69t and earnings per share (EPS) of ₹34.33 in 2025. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts.

Despite cutting their earnings forecasts,the analysts have lifted their price target 5.4% to ₹1,761, suggesting that these impacts are not expected to weigh on the stock's value in the long term. 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 Bharti Airtel analyst has a price target of ₹2,070 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at ₹1,120. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Bharti Airtel shareholders.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Bharti Airtel's past performance and to peers in the same industry. The analysts are definitely expecting Bharti Airtel's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 17% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 14% per annum 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 5.2% per year. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Bharti Airtel to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still 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 Bharti Airtel. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Bharti Airtel going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Bharti Airtel you should be aware of, and 1 of them is potentially serious.

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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.