Analysts Just Shaved Their UpHealth, Inc. (NYSE:UPH) Forecasts Dramatically

One thing we could say about the analysts on UpHealth, Inc. (NYSE:UPH) - they aren't optimistic, having just made a major negative revision to their near-term (statutory) forecasts for the organization. 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 consensus from three analysts covering UpHealth is for revenues of US$132m in 2023, implying an uncomfortable 17% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. The loss per share is anticipated to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 86% to US$2.12. Yet before this consensus update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$148m and losses of US$1.90 per share in 2023. 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.

See our latest analysis for UpHealth

The consensus price target fell 13% to US$7.00, with the analysts clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook. 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 UpHealth analyst has a price target of US$11.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$3.00. We would probably assign less value to the forecasts in this situation, because such a wide range of estimates could imply that the future of this business is difficult to value accurately. As a result it might not be possible to derive much meaning from the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the UpHealth's past performance and to peers in the same industry. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with a forecast 17% annualised revenue decline to the end of 2023. That is a notable change from historical growth of 28% over the last year. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 12% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - UpHealth is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts increased their loss per share estimates for this year. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that UpHealth's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. Given the scope of the downgrades, it would not be a surprise to see the market become more wary of the business.

So things certainly aren't looking great, and you should also know that we've spotted some potential warning signs with UpHealth, including dilutive stock issuance over the past year. Learn more, and discover the 4 other warning signs we've identified, for free on our platform here.

Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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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.