The Pennant Group, Inc. Just Beat EPS By 25%: Here's What Analysts Think Will Happen Next

As you might know, The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PNTG) just kicked off its latest quarterly results with some very strong numbers. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 2.7% to hit US$98m. Pennant Group also reported a statutory profit of US$0.15, which was an impressive 25% above what the analysts had forecast. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Pennant Group

Following the latest results, Pennant Group's three analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$432.2m in 2021. This would be a solid 16% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to surge 161% to US$0.74. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$424.7m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.73 in 2021. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

The consensus price target rose 15% to US$47.33despite there being no meaningful change to earnings estimates. It could be that the analystsare reflecting the predictability of Pennant Group's earnings by assigning a price premium. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. The most optimistic Pennant Group analyst has a price target of US$54.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$44.00. With such a narrow range of valuations, the analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business is worth.

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. Next year brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to grow 16%, in line with its 14% annual growth over the past three years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 6.9% per year. So it's pretty clear that Pennant Group is forecast to grow substantially faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - and our data suggests that revenues are expected to grow faster than the wider industry. We note an upgrade to the price target, suggesting that the analysts believes the intrinsic value of the business is likely to improve over time.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Pennant Group going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Even so, be aware that Pennant Group is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.