The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) just released its latest second-quarter results and things are looking bullish. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 2.5% to hit US$863m. Greenbrier Companies reported statutory earnings per share (EPS) US$1.03, which was a notable 15% above what the analysts had forecast. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

View our latest analysis for Greenbrier Companies

Following the recent earnings report, the consensus from five analysts covering Greenbrier Companies is for revenues of US$3.56b in 2024. This implies a noticeable 4.4% decline in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to climb 18% to US$4.20. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$3.55b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.89 in 2024. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The analysts have been lifting their price targets on the back of the earnings upgrade, with the consensus price target rising 14% to US$60.00. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. There are some variant perceptions on Greenbrier Companies, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$65.00 and the most bearish at US$52.00 per share. Still, with such a tight range of estimates, it suggeststhe analysts have a pretty good idea of what they think the company is worth.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. These estimates imply that revenue is expected to slow, with a forecast annualised decline of 8.7% by the end of 2024. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 7.0% 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 3.4% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Greenbrier Companies is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Greenbrier Companies following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse 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.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Greenbrier Companies going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Plus, you should also learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Greenbrier Companies (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .

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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.