Shareholders of Brambles Limited (ASX:BXB) will be pleased this week, given that the stock price is up 17% to AU$18.03 following its latest yearly results. The result was positive overall - although revenues of US$6.7b were in line with what the analysts predicted, Brambles surprised by delivering a statutory profit of US$0.56 per share, modestly greater than expected. 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. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

View our latest analysis for Brambles

Following the latest results, Brambles' 15 analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$6.97b in 2025. This would be a modest 3.3% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to climb 11% to US$0.62. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$6.95b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.60 in 2025. So the consensus seems to have become somewhat more optimistic on Brambles' earnings potential following these results.

The consensus price target rose 15% to AU$18.10, suggesting that higher earnings estimates flow through to the stock's valuation as well. 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. The most optimistic Brambles analyst has a price target of AU$22.04 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at AU$13.20. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.

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. We would highlight that Brambles' revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 3.3% annualised growth rate until the end of 2025 being well below the historical 7.8% p.a. growth over the last five years. Compare this against other companies (with analyst forecasts) in the industry, which are in aggregate expected to see revenue growth of 4.5% annually. So it's pretty clear that, while revenue growth is expected to slow down, the wider industry is also expected to grow faster than Brambles.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Brambles following these results. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that Brambles' revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. We note an upgrade to the price target, suggesting that the analysts believes the intrinsic value of the business is likely to improve over time.

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 Brambles going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

You still need to take note of risks, for example - Brambles has 2 warning signs we think 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.