Poste Italiane S.p.A. Just Recorded A 12% EPS Beat: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting Next

Poste Italiane S.p.A. (BIT:PST) last week reported its latest quarterly results, which makes it a good time for investors to dive in and see if the business is performing in line with expectations. Revenues were €3.1b, approximately in line with expectations, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) performed substantially better. EPS of €0.44 were also better than expected, beating analyst predictions by 12%. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Poste Italiane

Taking into account the latest results, the twelve analysts covering Poste Italiane provided consensus estimates of €12.6b revenue in 2025, which would reflect a perceptible 3.1% decline over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to rise 2.2% to €1.57. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of €12.6b and earnings per share (EPS) of €1.57 in 2025. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of €14.11, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Poste Italiane at €15.50 per share, while the most bearish prices it at €12.20. Even so, with a relatively close grouping of estimates, it looks like the analysts are quite confident in their valuations, suggesting Poste Italiane is an easy business to forecast or the the analysts are all using similar assumptions.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. We would also point out that the forecast 2.5% annualised revenue decline to the end of 2025 is better than the historical trend, which saw revenues shrink 23% annually over the past five years By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 5.0% per year. So while a broad number of companies are forecast to grow, unfortunately Poste Italiane is expected to see its revenue affected worse than other companies in the industry.

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. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Poste Italiane. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for Poste Italiane going out to 2026, 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 Poste Italiane 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.