Bearish: Analysts Just Cut Their Orbital Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:OEG) Revenue and EPS estimates

Today is shaping up negative for Orbital Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:OEG) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as the analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously.

Following the downgrade, the most recent consensus for Orbital Energy Group from its three analysts is for revenues of US$83m in 2021 which, if met, would be a major 97% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Losses are predicted to fall substantially, shrinking 41% to US$0.72. Yet prior to the latest estimates, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$100m and losses of US$0.47 per share in 2021. So there's been quite a change-up of views after the recent consensus updates, with the analysts making a serious cut to their revenue forecasts while also expecting losses per share to increase.

View our latest analysis for Orbital Energy Group

There was no major change to the consensus price target of US$9.33, signalling that the business is performing roughly in line with expectations, despite lower earnings per share forecasts. 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 Orbital Energy Group analyst has a price target of US$12.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$7.00. 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.

Another way we can view these estimates is in the context of the bigger picture, such as how the forecasts stack up against past performance, and whether forecasts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the industry. One thing stands out from these estimates, which is that Orbital Energy Group is forecast to grow faster in the future than it has in the past, with revenues expected to display 289% annualised growth until the end of 2021. If achieved, this would be a much better result than the 30% annual decline over the past five years. Compare this against analyst estimates for the broader industry, which suggest that (in aggregate) industry revenues are expected to grow 7.2% annually. So it looks like Orbital Energy Group is expected to grow faster than its competitors, at least for a while.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to note from this downgrade is that the consensus increased its forecast losses this year, suggesting all may not be well at Orbital Energy Group. While analysts did downgrade their revenue estimates, these forecasts still imply revenues will perform better than the wider market. The lack of change in the price target is puzzling in light of the downgrade but, with a serious decline expected this year, we wouldn't be surprised if investors were a bit wary of Orbital Energy Group.

After a downgrade like this, it's pretty clear that previous forecasts were too optimistic. What's more, we've spotted several possible issues with Orbital Energy Group's business, like major dilution from new stock issuance in the past year. For more information, you can click here to discover this and the 2 other concerns we've identified.

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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.
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