Cencora, Inc. Just Beat Earnings Expectations: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

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Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR) came out with its quarterly results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$81b were in line with what the analysts predicted, Cencora surprised by delivering a statutory profit of US$3.52 per share, a notable 19% above expectations. 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. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

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Following the latest results, Cencora's 14 analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$342.7b in 2026. This would be a solid 8.2% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to jump 48% to US$14.51. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$343.4b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$14.35 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.

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It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$331. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. There are some variant perceptions on Cencora, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$355 and the most bearish at US$274 per share. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.

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. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Cencora's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2026 expected to display 6.5% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 11% over the past five years. Juxtapose this against the other companies in the industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenues (in aggregate) 5.9% annually. So it's pretty clear that, while Cencora's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the 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. Happily, there were no real changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall 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.

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. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Cencora going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Even so, be aware that Cencora is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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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.