The Renasant Corporation (NASDAQ:RNST) Third-Quarter Results Are Out And Analysts Have Published New Forecasts

Renasant Corporation (NASDAQ:RNST) investors will be delighted, with the company turning in some strong numbers with its latest results. The company beat expectations with revenues of US$178m arriving 4.2% ahead of forecasts. Statutory earnings per share (EPS) were US$0.53, 4.4% ahead of estimates. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Renasant after the latest results.

Check out our latest analysis for Renasant

After the latest results, the eight analysts covering Renasant are now predicting revenues of US$622.4m in 2021. If met, this would reflect a notable 13% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to reduce 4.5% to US$1.64 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$622.4m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.64 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.

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of US$27.14, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Renasant at US$29.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$25.00. This is a very narrow spread of estimates, implying either that Renasant is an easy company to value, or - more likely - the analysts are relying heavily on some key assumptions.

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. We can infer from the latest estimates that forecasts expect a continuation of Renasant'shistorical trends, as next year's 13% revenue growth is roughly in line with 11% annual revenue growth over the past five years. Compare this with the wider industry, which analyst estimates (in aggregate) suggest will see revenues grow 1.3% next year. So although Renasant is expected to maintain its revenue growth rate, it's definitely expected to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. We have forecasts for Renasant going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Renasant that you need to be mindful of.

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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