Stolt-Nielsen Limited Just Recorded A 6.7% EPS Beat: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting Next

Last week, you might have seen that Stolt-Nielsen Limited (OB:SNI) released its third-quarter result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 2.0% to kr336 in the past week. Stolt-Nielsen reported US$700m in revenue, roughly in line with analyst forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.20 beat expectations, being 6.7% higher than what the analysts expected. 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 thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

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Following last week's earnings report, Stolt-Nielsen's four analysts are forecasting 2026 revenues to be US$2.85b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to nosedive 29% to US$5.09 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$2.84b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$5.08 in 2026. 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.

View our latest analysis for Stolt-Nielsen

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at kr403. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Stolt-Nielsen at kr467 per share, while the most bearish prices it at kr359. So we wouldn't be assigning too much credibility to analyst price targets in this case, because there are clearly some widely different views on what kind of performance this business can generate. As a result it might not be a great idea to make decisions based on the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.

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. We would highlight that Stolt-Nielsen's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 1.6% annualised growth rate until the end of 2026 being well below the historical 8.5% p.a. growth over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenue shrink 0.8% per year. So it's clear that despite the slowdown in growth, Stolt-Nielsen is still expected to grow meaningfully faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Their estimates also suggest that Stolt-Nielsen's revenue is expected to perform better than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at kr403, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. We have estimates - from multiple Stolt-Nielsen analysts - going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Even so, be aware that Stolt-Nielsen is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those can't be ignored...

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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.