One thing we could say about the analysts on Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co.,Ltd (SZSE:000792) - they aren't optimistic, having just made a major negative revision to their near-term (statutory) forecasts for the organization. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting the analysts have soured majorly on the business.

After the downgrade, the consensus from Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd's ten analysts is for revenues of CN¥17b in 2024, which would reflect a chunky 20% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Per-share earnings are expected to increase 4.7% to CN¥1.54. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN¥21b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN¥1.78 in 2024. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd's prospects, administering a substantial drop in revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot.

Analysts made no major changes to their price target of CN¥20.04, suggesting the downgrades are not expected to have a long-term impact on Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd's valuation.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with a forecast 20% annualised revenue decline to the end of 2024. That is a notable change from historical growth of 8.2% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 17% per year. It's pretty clear that Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts cut their earnings per share estimates, expecting a clear decline in business conditions. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. We're also surprised to see that the price target went unchanged. Still, deteriorating business conditions (assuming accurate forecasts!) can be a leading indicator for the stock price, so we wouldn't blame investors for being more cautious on Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd after the downgrade.

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 Qinghai Salt Lake IndustryLtd analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them 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 downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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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.