As you might know, Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) just kicked off its latest first-quarter results with some very strong numbers. Curtiss-Wright beat earnings, with revenues hitting US$713m, ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share outperforming analyst reckonings by a solid 15%. 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. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Curtiss-Wright

Taking into account the latest results, the consensus forecast from Curtiss-Wright's seven analysts is for revenues of US$3.03b in 2024. This reflects an okay 3.3% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to increase 6.4% to US$10.40. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$2.99b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$10.18 in 2024. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target was unchanged at US$274, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. 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 Curtiss-Wright, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$300 and the most bearish at US$235 per share. Even so, with a relatively close grouping of estimates, it looks like the analysts are quite confident in their valuations, suggesting Curtiss-Wright is an easy business to forecast or the the analysts are all using similar assumptions.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. The analysts are definitely expecting Curtiss-Wright's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 4.5% annualised growth to the end of 2024 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 3.0% per annum over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 2.3% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Curtiss-Wright is expected to grow much faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Curtiss-Wright following these results. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Additionally, our data suggests that revenue is expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$274, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Curtiss-Wright going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

However, before you get too enthused, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Curtiss-Wright that you should be aware of.

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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.