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Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC) Analysts Are More Bearish Than They Used To Be

Today is shaping up negative for Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to next year's forecasts. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting analysts have soured majorly on the business.

Following the latest downgrade, the ten analysts covering Semtech provided consensus estimates of US$669m revenue in 2024, which would reflect an uncomfortable 14% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are anticipated to plummet 42% to US$1.33 in the same period. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$748m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.03 in 2024. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Semtech's prospects, administering a substantial drop in revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot.

View our latest analysis for Semtech

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It'll come as no surprise then, to learn that the analysts have cut their price target 16% to US$42.50. 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. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Semtech at US$63.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$32.00. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.

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. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast annualised revenue decline of 12% by the end of 2024. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 6.0% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 7.0% per year. It's pretty clear that Semtech's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Semtech. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. After such a stark change in sentiment from analysts, we'd understand if readers now felt a bit wary of Semtech.

Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have estimates - from multiple Semtech analysts - going out to 2025, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.

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