Analysts Just Made A Substantial Upgrade To Their Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABTX) Forecasts
Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABTX) shareholders will have a reason to smile today, with the analysts making substantial upgrades to this year's statutory forecasts. The consensus statutory numbers for both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) increased, with their view clearly much more bullish on the company's business prospects.
Following the upgrade, the most recent consensus for Allegiance Bancshares from its four analysts is for revenues of US$223m in 2020 which, if met, would be a major 26% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are presumed to accumulate 7.0% to US$2.25. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$183m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.64 in 2020. There has definitely been an improvement in perception recently, with the analysts substantially increasing both their earnings and revenue estimates.
Check out our latest analysis for Allegiance Bancshares
As a result, it might be a surprise to see that the analysts have cut their price target 11% to US$28.67, which could suggest the forecast improvement in performance is not expected to last. 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 Allegiance Bancshares, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$32.00 and the most bearish at US$27.00 per share. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or that the analysts have a clear view on its prospects.
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. Next year brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to grow 26%, in line with its 22% annual growth over the past five years. Compare this with the wider industry, which analyst estimates (in aggregate) suggest will see revenues grow 2.8% next year. So it's pretty clear that Allegiance Bancshares is forecast to grow substantially faster than its industry.
The Bottom Line
The biggest takeaway for us from these new estimates is that analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, with improved earnings power expected for this year. They also upgraded their revenue estimates for this year, and sales are expected to grow faster than the wider market. The declining price target is a puzzle, but still - with a serious upgrade to this year's expectations, it might be time to take another look at Allegiance Bancshares.
Analysts are clearly in love with Allegiance Bancshares at the moment, but before diving in - you should be aware that we've identified some warning flags with the business, such as dilutive stock issuance over the past year. You can learn more, and discover the 2 other risks we've identified, for free on our platform here.
Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are upgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
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