Last week, you might have seen that China Tower Corporation Limited (HKG:788) released its annual result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 7.1% to HK$0.91 in the past week. It was a credible result overall, with revenues of CN¥94b and statutory earnings per share of CN¥0.056 both in line with analyst estimates, showing that China Tower is executing in line with expectations. 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.

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for China Tower from 15 analysts is for revenues of CN¥98.6b in 2024. If met, it would imply a reasonable 4.8% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to expand 14% to CN¥0.063. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of CN¥99.0b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN¥0.063 in 2024. 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.

There were no changes to revenue or earnings estimates or the price target of HK$1.11, suggesting that the company has met expectations in its recent result. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values China Tower at HK$1.45 per share, while the most bearish prices it at HK$0.86. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

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. The period to the end of 2024 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 4.8% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 5.7% annual growth over the past five years. Juxtapose this against our data, which suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 4.6% per year. So although China Tower is expected to maintain its revenue growth rate, it's only growing at about the rate of 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 reconfirmed their revenue estimates, with the company predicted to grow at about the same rate as the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at HK$1.11, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

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 estimates - from multiple China Tower analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

It is also worth noting that we have found 1 warning sign for China Tower that you need to take into consideration.

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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.