Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM) just released its latest quarterly results and things are looking bullish. Howmet Aerospace beat earnings, with revenues hitting US$1.8b, ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share outperforming analyst reckonings by a solid 14%. 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. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Howmet Aerospace's 17 analysts is for revenues of US$7.35b in 2024. This would reflect a modest 7.1% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to climb 13% to US$2.37. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$7.15b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.20 in 2024. So there seems to have been a moderate uplift in sentiment following the latest results, given the upgrades to both revenue and earnings per share forecasts for next year.

With these upgrades, we're not surprised to see that the analysts have lifted their price target 12% to US$80.42per share. 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. There are some variant perceptions on Howmet Aerospace, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$100.00 and the most bearish at US$53.00 per share. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.

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. One thing stands out from these estimates, which is that Howmet Aerospace is forecast to grow faster in the future than it has in the past, with revenues expected to display 9.6% annualised growth until the end of 2024. If achieved, this would be a much better result than the 10% annual decline over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 2.3% per year. Not only are Howmet Aerospace's revenues expected to improve, it seems that the analysts are also expecting it to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Howmet Aerospace's earnings potential next year. Happily, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, and are forecasting them to grow faster than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Howmet Aerospace going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Howmet Aerospace that you need to take into consideration.

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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.