LBX Pharmacy Chain Joint Stock Company (SHSE:603883) just released its latest quarterly report and things are not looking great. It wasn't a great result overall - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at CN¥5.3b, statutory earnings missed forecasts by an incredible 36%, coming in at just CN¥0.17 per share. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from LBX Pharmacy Chain's 14 analysts is for revenues of CN¥28.3b in 2025. This reflects a substantial 25% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to shoot up 48% to CN¥1.64. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN¥28.3b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN¥1.65 in 2025. 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.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at CN¥25.18. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. The most optimistic LBX Pharmacy Chain analyst has a price target of CN¥37.31 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at CN¥16.00. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. The analysts are definitely expecting LBX Pharmacy Chain's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 20% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 15% per annum 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 9.6% per year. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect LBX Pharmacy Chain 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. The consensus price target held steady at CN¥25.18, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

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 LBX Pharmacy Chain going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

However, before you get too enthused, we've discovered 2 warning signs for LBX Pharmacy Chain (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware 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.