It's been a good week for Amcor plc (NYSE:AMCR) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest half-yearly results, and the shares gained 2.9% to US$10.03. It was not a great result overall. While revenues of US$6.6b were in line with analyst predictions, earnings were less than expected, missing statutory estimates by 16% to hit US$0.11 per share. 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. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

See our latest analysis for Amcor

After the latest results, the 18 analysts covering Amcor are now predicting revenues of US$13.9b in 2025. If met, this would reflect an okay 2.3% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to step up 12% to US$0.62. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$13.9b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.65 in 2025. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a small dip in their earnings per share forecasts.

It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target was broadly unchanged at US$11.34, with the analysts clearly implying that the forecast decline in earnings is not expected to have much of an impact on valuation. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Amcor at US$12.30 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$10.00. With such a narrow range of valuations, the analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business is worth.

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting Amcor's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 4.7% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 3.6% per annum over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 5.6% annually. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Amcor is expected to grow at about the same rate as the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest concern is that the analysts reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds could lay ahead for Amcor. Happily, there were no real changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$11.34, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Amcor. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for Amcor going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Amcor you should know about.

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