Yahoo Finance Analysts Are Betting On Ovintiv Inc. (TSE:OVV) With A Big Upgrade This Week
Ovintiv Inc. (TSE:OVV) shareholders will have a reason to smile today, with the analysts making substantial upgrades to this year's forecasts. The consensus estimated revenue numbers rose, with their view now clearly much more bullish on the company's business prospects.
Following the latest upgrade, the current consensus, from the nine analysts covering Ovintiv, is for revenues of US$12b in 2022, which would reflect an uneasy 12% reduction in Ovintiv's sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are presumed to increase 6.2% to US$10.14. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$10b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$8.56 in 2022. There has definitely been an improvement in perception recently, with the analysts substantially increasing both their earnings and revenue estimates.
See our latest analysis for Ovintiv
Despite these upgrades, the analysts have not made any major changes to their price target of US$53.32, suggesting that the higher estimates are not likely to have a long term impact on what the stock is worth. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Ovintiv at US$77.88 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$60.02. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Ovintiv shareholders.
One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast annualised revenue decline of 23% by the end of 2022. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 22% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 0.3% per year. It's pretty clear that Ovintiv's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to take away from this upgrade is that analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates for this year, expecting improving business conditions. Fortunately, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, and are forecasting revenues to grow slower than the wider market. Seeing the dramatic upgrade to this year's forecasts, it might be time to take another look at Ovintiv.
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 Ovintiv analysts - going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.
Another thing to consider is whether management and directors have been buying or selling stock recently. We provide an overview of all open market stock trades for the last twelve months 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.
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