Yahoo Finance These Analysts Just Made A Significant Downgrade To Their Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) EPS Forecasts
The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. Revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts were both revised downwards, with analysts seeing grey clouds on the horizon.
After this downgrade, Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings' ten analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$107m in 2023. This would be a sizeable 107% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. The loss per share is anticipated to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 42% to US$3.21. However, before this estimates update, the consensus had been expecting revenues of US$124m and US$2.78 per share in losses. Ergo, there's been a clear change in sentiment, with the analysts administering a notable cut to next year's revenue estimates, while at the same time increasing their loss per share forecasts.
See our latest analysis for Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings
The consensus price target fell 5.4% to US$44.00, with the analysts clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$140 and the most bearish at US$14.00 per share. So we wouldn't be assigning too much credibility to analyst price targets in this case, because there are clearly some widely differing views on what kind of performance this business can generate. With this in mind, we wouldn't rely too heavily on the consensus price target, as it is just an average and analysts clearly have some deeply divergent views on the business.
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. It's clear from the latest estimates that Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings' rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 79% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2023 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 16% p.a. over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 14% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings is expected to grow much faster than its industry.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to take away is that analysts increased their loss per share estimates for next year. While analysts did downgrade their revenue estimates, these forecasts still imply revenues will perform better than the wider market. After such a stark change in sentiment from analysts, we'd understand if readers now felt a bit wary of Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings.
Even so, the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for the value creation of shareholders. We have estimates - from multiple Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings analysts - going out to 2024, and you can see them 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.
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