It's been a good week for Weihai Guangwei Composites Co., Ltd. (SZSE:300699) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest yearly results, and the shares gained 3.2% to CN¥23.49. The result was fairly weak overall, with revenues of CN¥2.5b being 5.1% less than what the analysts had been modelling. 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 gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Weihai Guangwei Composites

Following the latest results, Weihai Guangwei Composites' twelve analysts are now forecasting revenues of CN¥3.34b in 2024. This would be a substantial 33% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to bounce 34% to CN¥1.40. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN¥3.38b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN¥1.43 in 2024. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a small dip in their earnings per share forecasts.

It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target was broadly unchanged at CN¥35.03, with the analysts clearly implying that the forecast decline in earnings is not expected to have much of an impact on valuation. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Weihai Guangwei Composites at CN¥49.80 per share, while the most bearish prices it at CN¥28.29. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. It's clear from the latest estimates that Weihai Guangwei Composites' rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 33% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2024 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 11% p.a. over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 18% per year. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Weihai Guangwei Composites to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Weihai Guangwei Composites. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at CN¥35.03, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

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 Weihai Guangwei Composites going out to 2025, and you can see them free on our platform here.

That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Weihai Guangwei Composites , and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

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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.