Yahoo Finance Analysts Just Slashed Their Hammerson plc (LON:HMSO) EPS Numbers
Today is shaping up negative for Hammerson plc (LON:HMSO) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously. Investors however, have been notably more optimistic about Hammerson recently, with the stock price up a notable 14% to UK£0.25 in the past week. With such a sharp increase, it seems brokers may have seen something that is not yet being priced in by the wider market.
After the downgrade, the consensus from Hammerson's ten analysts is for revenues of UK£197m in 2022, which would reflect a disturbing 33% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Losses are supposed to balloon 2,288% to UK£0.022 per share. However, before this estimates update, the consensus had been expecting revenues of UK£238m and UK£0.017 per share in losses. 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 Hammerson
The consensus price target was broadly unchanged at UK£0.26, perhaps implicitly signalling that the weaker earnings outlook is not expected to have a long-term impact on the valuation. 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 Hammerson, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at UK£0.43 and the most bearish at UK£0.13 per share. With such a wide range in price targets, the analysts are almost certainly betting on widely diverse outcomes for the underlying business. As a result it might not be possible to derive much meaning from the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.
These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Hammerson's past performance and to peers in the same industry. One more thing stood out to us about these estimates, and it's the idea that Hammerson's decline is expected to accelerate, with revenues forecast to fall at an annualised rate of 55% to the end of 2022. This tops off a historical decline of 16% a year over the past five years. Compare this against analyst estimates for companies in the broader industry, which suggest that revenues (in aggregate) are expected to grow 5.8% annually. So while a broad number of companies are forecast to grow, unfortunately Hammerson is expected to see its sales affected worse than other companies in the 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 Hammerson. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Hammerson's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. We're also surprised to see that the price target went unchanged. Still, deteriorating business conditions (assuming accurate forecasts!) can be a leading indicator for the stock price, so we wouldn't blame investors for being more cautious on Hammerson after the downgrade.
Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have estimates - from multiple Hammerson 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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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