It's been a pretty great week for IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) shareholders, with its shares surging 19% to US$24.30 in the week since its latest quarterly results. Revenues of US$91m fell slightly short of expectations, but earnings were a definite bright spot, with statutory per-share profits of US$0.26 an impressive 92% ahead of estimates. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on IMAX after the latest results.

Following the latest results, IMAX's eleven analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$413.7m in 2025. This would be a decent 20% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to surge 96% to US$0.87. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$412.4m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.86 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 US$25.45. 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. There are some variant perceptions on IMAX, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$30.00 and the most bearish at US$16.00 per share. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await IMAX shareholders.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. The analysts are definitely expecting IMAX's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 15% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 6.7% 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 9.0% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that IMAX is expected to grow much faster than its 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 US$25.45, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on IMAX. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for IMAX going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Before you take the next step you should know about the 1 warning sign for IMAX that we have uncovered.

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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.