Liberty Latin America Ltd. (NASDAQ:LILA) last week reported its latest third-quarter results, which makes it a good time for investors to dive in and see if the business is performing in line with expectations. Revenues fell 3.7% short of expectations, at US$888m. Earnings correspondingly dipped, with Liberty Latin America reporting a statutory loss of US$0.46 per share, whereas the analysts had previously modelled a profit in this period. 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. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Liberty Latin America after the latest results.
See our latest analysis for Liberty Latin America
After the latest results, the eight analysts covering Liberty Latin America are now predicting revenues of US$4.28b in 2021. If met, this would reflect a notable 18% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Liberty Latin America is also expected to turn profitable, with statutory earnings of US$0.47 per share. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$4.29b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.37 in 2021. There was no real change to the revenue estimates, but the analysts do seem more bullish on earnings, given the considerable lift to earnings per share expectations following these results.
There's been no major changes to the consensus price target of US$16.33, suggesting that the improved earnings per share outlook is not enough to have a long-term positive impact on the stock's valuation. 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. The most optimistic Liberty Latin America analyst has a price target of US$22.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$11.00. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.
Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. Next year brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to grow 18%, in line with its 17% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 1.5% per year. So although Liberty Latin America is expected to maintain its revenue growth rate, it's definitely expected to grow faster than 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 Liberty Latin America following these results. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$16.33, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.
Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. We have estimates - from multiple Liberty Latin America analysts - going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.
You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Liberty Latin America you should be aware 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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