Last week saw the newest first-quarter earnings release from Lancaster Colony Corporation (NASDAQ:LANC), an important milestone in the company's journey to build a stronger business. Revenues of US$467m were in line with forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) came in below expectations at US$1.62, missing estimates by 2.7%. 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 collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Lancaster Colony

Taking into account the latest results, Lancaster Colony's seven analysts currently expect revenues in 2025 to be US$1.91b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to grow 16% to US$6.66. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$1.91b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$6.74 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.

The analysts reconfirmed their price target of US$196, showing that the business is executing well and in line with expectations. 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 Lancaster Colony, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$227 and the most bearish at US$183 per share. With such a narrow range of valuations, the analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business 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 would highlight that Lancaster Colony's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 2.4% annualised growth rate until the end of 2025 being well below the historical 8.7% p.a. growth over the last five years. Compare this to the 137 other companies in this industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 2.8% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it looks like Lancaster Colony is forecast to grow at about the same rate as 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. 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$196, 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 forecasts for Lancaster Colony going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You can also see our analysis of Lancaster Colony's Board and CEO remuneration and experience, and whether company insiders have been buying stock.

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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.