Yahoo Finance Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN) Analysts Just Slashed This Year's Estimates
Today is shaping up negative for Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. 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 latest downgrade, the four analysts covering Albany International provided consensus estimates of US$805m revenue in 2021, which would reflect a considerable 11% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are anticipated to descend 11% to US$2.72 in the same period. Previously, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$897m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.13 in 2021. It looks like analyst sentiment has declined substantially, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a real cut to earnings per share numbers as well.
See our latest analysis for Albany International
What's most unexpected is that the consensus price target rose 5.0% to US$71.00, strongly implying the downgrade to forecasts is not expected to be more than a temporary blip. 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. There are some variant perceptions on Albany International, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$84.00 and the most bearish at US$63.00 per share. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggests the analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.
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 11%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 7.3% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 7.8% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Albany International is expected to lag the wider industry.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to take away is that analysts cut their earnings per share estimates, expecting a clear decline in business conditions. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. The increasing price target is not intuitively what we would expect to see, given these downgrades, and we'd suggest shareholders revisit their investment thesis before making a decision.
A high debt burden combined with a downgrade of this magnitude always gives us some reason for concern, especially if these forecasts are just the first sign of a business downturn. You can learn more about our debt analysis for free on our platform here.
Another thing to consider is whether management and directors have been buying or selling stock recently. We provide an overview of all open market stock trades for the last twelve months on our platform, here.
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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