Results: Getty Images Holdings, Inc. Beat Earnings Expectations And Analysts Now Have New Forecasts

Last week, you might have seen that Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:GETY) released its third-quarter result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 4.5% to US$1.70 in the past week. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$240m were what the analysts expected, Getty Images Holdings surprised by delivering a (statutory) profit of US$0.05 per share, an impressive 38% above what was forecast. 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 collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

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Following the latest results, Getty Images Holdings' four analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$968.5m in 2026. This would be a modest 2.3% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Earnings are expected to improve, with Getty Images Holdings forecast to report a statutory profit of US$0.091 per share. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$968.2m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.13 in 2026. The analysts seem to have become more bearish following the latest results. While there were no changes to revenue forecasts, there was a large cut to EPS estimates.

View our latest analysis for Getty Images Holdings

The consensus price target held steady at US$4.43, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Getty Images Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$7.00 and the most bearish at US$1.85 per share. 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.

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. The analysts are definitely expecting Getty Images Holdings' growth to accelerate, with the forecast 1.9% annualised growth to the end of 2026 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 1.3% per annum over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to see revenue growth of 12% annually. So it's clear that despite the acceleration in growth, Getty Images Holdings is expected to grow meaningfully slower than the industry average.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Getty Images Holdings. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$4.43, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Getty Images Holdings analysts - going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You can also see whether Getty Images Holdings is carrying too much debt, and whether its balance sheet is healthy, for free on our platform 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.