United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Just Reported Third-Quarter Earnings: Have Analysts Changed Their Mind On The Stock?

Last week saw the newest quarterly earnings release from United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI), an important milestone in the company's journey to build a stronger business. United Bankshares reported US$262m in revenue, roughly in line with analyst forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.70 beat expectations, being 4.2% 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. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

See our latest analysis for United Bankshares

Following the latest results, United Bankshares' four analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$1.16b in 2025. This would be a solid 15% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory per share are forecast to be US$2.66, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$1.17b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.66 in 2025. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

The analysts reconfirmed their price target of US$40.60, showing that the business is executing well and in line with expectations. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic United Bankshares analyst has a price target of US$42.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$39.00. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or thatthe analysts have a strong view on its prospects.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the United Bankshares' past performance and to peers in the same industry. The analysts are definitely expecting United Bankshares' growth to accelerate, with the forecast 12% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 6.4% 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 6.7% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that United Bankshares is expected to grow much faster than its 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. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$40.60, 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 United Bankshares going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

We also provide an overview of the United Bankshares Board and CEO remuneration and length of tenure at the company, and whether insiders have been buying the stock, 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.