It's been a sad week for Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), who've watched their investment drop 13% to US$33.19 in the week since the company reported its annual result. Revenues were US$124b, approximately in line with expectations, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) performed substantially better. EPS of US$4.14 were also better than expected, beating analyst predictions by 13%. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Comcast

Taking into account the latest results, Comcast's 29 analysts currently expect revenues in 2025 to be US$122.6b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to sink 10% to US$3.84 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$122.6b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.95 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 minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts.

The average price target fell 9.4% to US$43.22, with reduced earnings forecasts clearly tied to a lower valuation estimate. 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. There are some variant perceptions on Comcast, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$55.00 and the most bearish at US$35.00 per share. This shows there is still a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Comcast's past performance and to peers in the same industry. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 0.9% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 3.6% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 4.0% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that Comcast's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target fell measurably, with the analysts seemingly not reassured by the latest results, leading to a lower estimate of Comcast's future valuation.

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 Comcast going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Plus, you should also learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Comcast (including 1 which is a bit concerning) .

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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.