Yahoo Finance Analysts Just Made A Major Revision To Their Gritstone bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRTS) Revenue Forecasts
The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Gritstone bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRTS), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. Revenue estimates were cut sharply as analysts signalled a weaker outlook - perhaps a sign that investors should temper their expectations as well.
After the downgrade, the consensus from Gritstone bio's four analysts is for revenues of US$11m in 2022, which would reflect a sizeable 76% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Losses are supposed to balloon 50% to US$1.55 per share. Yet prior to the latest estimates, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$26m and losses of US$1.41 per share in 2022. Ergo, there's been a clear change in sentiment, with the analysts administering a notable cut to this year's revenue estimates, while at the same time increasing their loss per share forecasts.
See our latest analysis for Gritstone bio
The consensus price target fell 17% to US$14.67, with the analysts clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic Gritstone bio analyst has a price target of US$20.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$9.00. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.
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 76% by the end of 2022. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 83% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 11% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Gritstone bio is expected to lag the wider industry.
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 Gritstone bio. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. Furthermore, there was a cut to the price target, suggesting that the latest news has led to more pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business. Given the stark change in sentiment, we'd understand if investors became more cautious on Gritstone bio after today.
So things certainly aren't looking great, and you should also know that we've spotted some potential warning signs with Gritstone bio, including dilutive stock issuance over the past year. Learn more, and discover the 3 other warning signs we've identified, for free on our platform here.
Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks 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.
