Pharming Group N.V. Just Beat Analyst Forecasts, And Analysts Have Been Updating Their Predictions

Investors in Pharming Group N.V. (AMS:PHARM) had a good week, as its shares rose 2.2% to close at €0.98 following the release of its third-quarter results. Revenues were US$53m, approximately in line with whatthe analysts expected, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) crushed expectations, coming in at US$0.013, an impressive 158% 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. 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 Pharming Group

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Pharming Group's four analysts is for revenues of US$238.9m in 2023, which would reflect a decent 17% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to tumble 92% to US$0.0039 in the same period. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$239.9m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.035 in 2023. The analysts seem to have become more bearish following the latest results. While there were no changes to revenue forecasts, there was a pretty serious reduction to EPS estimates.

Althoughthe analysts have revised their earnings forecasts for next year, they've also lifted the consensus price target 6.0% to €1.78, suggesting the revised estimates are not indicative of a weaker long-term future for the business. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic Pharming Group analyst has a price target of €1.90 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at €1.66. Even so, with a relatively close grouping of estimates, it looks like the analysts are quite confident in their valuations, suggesting Pharming Group is an easy business to forecast or the the analysts are all using similar assumptions.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Pharming Group's past performance and to peers in the same industry. The period to the end of 2023 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 14% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 12% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 27% per year. So although Pharming Group is expected to maintain its revenue growth rate, it's forecast to grow slower 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 Pharming Group. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - although our data does suggest that Pharming Group's revenues are expected to perform worse 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 Pharming Group going out to 2024, 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 Pharming Group that you need to be mindful of.

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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.

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