Manhattan Associates, Inc. Beat Analyst Estimates: See What The Consensus Is Forecasting For This Year
Manhattan Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:MANH) defied analyst predictions to release its quarterly results, which were ahead of market expectations. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 6.3% to hit US$136m. Manhattan Associates reported statutory earnings per share (EPS) US$0.30, which was a notable 17% above what the analysts had forecast. 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. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.
Check out our latest analysis for Manhattan Associates
Following the recent earnings report, the consensus from seven analysts covering Manhattan Associates is for revenues of US$566.8m in 2020, implying a perceptible 6.3% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to reduce 9.1% to US$1.22 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$553.7m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.23 in 2020. There doesn't appear to have been a major change in sentiment following the results, other than the modest lift to revenue estimates.
The consensus price target increased 11% to US$103, with an improved revenue forecast carrying the promise of a more valuable business, in time. 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 Manhattan Associates, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$120 and the most bearish at US$69.00 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 Manhattan Associates shareholders.
Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 6.3% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 1.5% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 12% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that Manhattan Associates' revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.
The Bottom Line
The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. They also upgraded their revenue estimates for next year, even though sales are expected to grow slower 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. We have forecasts for Manhattan Associates going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.
We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Manhattan Associates that you need to be mindful of.
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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