It's been a pretty great week for Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) shareholders, with its shares surging 17% to US$246 in the week since its latest first-quarter results. Revenues were US$978m, approximately in line with whatthe analysts expected, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) crushed expectations, coming in at US$4.32, an impressive 33% ahead of estimates. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

Following last week's earnings report, Valmont Industries' five analysts are forecasting 2024 revenues to be US$4.14b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to surge 105% to US$15.90. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$4.08b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$14.71 in 2024. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target rose 8.3% to US$288, suggesting that higher earnings estimates flow through to the stock's valuation as well. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. There are some variant perceptions on Valmont Industries, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$300 and the most bearish at US$280 per share. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or thatthe analysts have a strong view on its prospects.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Valmont Industries' revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2024 expected to display 1.7% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 12% over the past five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 7.9% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Valmont Industries is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

The Bottom Line

The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Valmont Industries' earnings potential next year. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that Valmont Industries' revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Valmont Industries going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Before you take the next step you should know about the 3 warning signs for Valmont Industries that we have uncovered.

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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.