Yahoo Finance Analysts Just Slashed Their Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) EPS Numbers
The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR), 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 the analysts seeing grey clouds on the horizon.
After this downgrade, Esperion Therapeutics' twelve analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$112m in 2023. This would be a sizeable 48% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. The loss per share is anticipated to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 25% to US$2.29. However, before this estimates update, the consensus had been expecting revenues of US$153m and US$1.78 per share in losses. 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Esperion Therapeutics
The consensus price target fell 5.1% to US$11.15, with the analysts clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook. 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 Esperion Therapeutics, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$22.00 and the most bearish at US$1.00 per share. With such a wide range in price targets, the analysts are almost certainly betting on widely diverse outcomes for the underlying business. 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.
Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting Esperion Therapeutics' growth to accelerate, with the forecast 48% annualised growth to the end of 2023 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 16% per annum over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 5.1% annually. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Esperion Therapeutics to grow faster than 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 Esperion Therapeutics. While analysts did downgrade their revenue estimates, these forecasts still imply revenues will perform better 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.
After a downgrade like this, it's pretty clear that previous forecasts were too optimistic. What's more, we've spotted several possible issues with Esperion Therapeutics' business, like dilutive stock issuance over the past year. Learn more, and discover the 3 other concerns 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.
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