FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 3.9% to US$41.73 in the week after its latest third-quarter results. Statutory earnings per share fell badly short of expectations, coming in at US$0.73, some 20% below analyst forecasts, although revenues were okay, approximately in line with analyst estimates at US$3.7b. 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. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for FirstEnergy

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from FirstEnergy's eleven analysts is for revenues of US$14.1b in 2025. This reflects a modest 6.5% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to soar 86% to US$2.87. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$14.1b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.87 in 2025. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$46.80. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on FirstEnergy, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$52.00 and the most bearish at US$41.00 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.

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. We can infer from the latest estimates that forecasts expect a continuation of FirstEnergy'shistorical trends, as the 5.2% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2025 is roughly in line with the 5.0% 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 4.7% per year. So although FirstEnergy 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. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

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 forecasts for FirstEnergy going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for FirstEnergy you should be aware of.

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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.