Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABMD) just released its quarterly report and things are looking bullish. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 2.4% to hit US$232m. Abiomed also reported a statutory profit of US$1.35, which was an impressive 20% above what the analysts had forecast. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

View our latest analysis for Abiomed

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from Abiomed's nine analysts is for revenues of US$998.1m in 2022, which would reflect a major 23% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to accumulate 7.4% to US$4.78. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$1.00b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$4.96 in 2022. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts.

Despite cutting their earnings forecasts,the analysts have lifted their price target 16% to US$378, suggesting that these impacts are not expected to weigh on the stock's value in the long term. 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 Abiomed, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$425 and the most bearish at US$245 per share. This shows there is still a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We can infer from the latest estimates that forecasts expect a continuation of Abiomed'shistorical trends, as next year's 23% revenue growth is roughly in line with 19% annual revenue 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 9.3% per year. So although Abiomed is expected to maintain its revenue growth rate, it's definitely expected to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - and our data suggests that revenues are expected 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. We have estimates - from multiple Abiomed analysts - going out to 2025, and you can see them free on our platform here.

That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Abiomed , and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

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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