C&C Group plc (LON:CCR) Analysts Just Cut Their EPS Forecasts Substantially

One thing we could say about the analysts on C&C Group plc (LON:CCR) - they aren't optimistic, having just made a major negative revision to their near-term (statutory) forecasts for the organization. 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.

Following the downgrade, the consensus from six analysts covering C&C Group is for revenues of €851m in 2021, implying a concerning 31% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. The loss per share is anticipated to greatly reduce in the near future, narrowing 71% to €0.068. Yet before this consensus update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of €984m and losses of €0.03 per share in 2021. 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.

See our latest analysis for C&C Group

The consensus price target fell 11% to UK£2.17, implicitly signalling that lower earnings per share are a leading indicator for C&C Group's valuation. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic C&C Group analyst has a price target of UK£2.70 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at UK£1.81. 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 C&C Group shareholders.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 31%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 25% 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 4.7% next year. It's pretty clear that C&C Group's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts increased their loss per share estimates for this year. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. After such a stark change in sentiment from analysts, we'd understand if readers now felt a bit wary of C&C Group.

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 C&C Group 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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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