Shareholders of Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT) will be pleased this week, given that the stock price is up 11% to US$62.70 following its latest quarterly results. It was a workmanlike result, with revenues of US$1.1b coming in 4.3% ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share of US$0.37, in line with analyst appraisals. 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. 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 Copart

After the latest results, the ten analysts covering Copart are now predicting revenues of US$4.68b in 2025. If met, this would reflect a modest 7.3% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to rise 7.6% to US$1.56. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$4.58b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.55 in 2025. So it looks like there's been no major change in sentiment following the latest results, although the analysts have made a modest lift to to revenue forecasts.

The analysts increased their price target 5.8% to US$59.26, perhaps signalling that higher revenues are a strong leading indicator for Copart'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 Copart analyst has a price target of US$66.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$51.00. 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. We would highlight that Copart's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 9.9% annualised growth rate until the end of 2025 being well below the historical 16% p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 7.2% annually. Even after the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Copart is also expected to grow faster than 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. Pleasantly, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, and their forecasts suggest the business is expected to grow faster 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.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for Copart going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

You can also see our analysis of Copart'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.