Shareholders might have noticed that Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B) filed its quarterly result this time last week. The early response was not positive, with shares down 3.6% to US$11.37 in the past week. Results look mixed - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at US$322m, statutory earnings beat expectations 3.3%, with Crawford reporting profits of US$0.31 per share. 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.
Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Crawford's three analysts is for revenues of US$1.31b in 2027. This would reflect a satisfactory 4.1% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to jump 107% to US$1.11. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$1.32b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.06 in 2027. So the consensus seems to have become somewhat more optimistic on Crawford's earnings potential following these results.
View our latest analysis for Crawford
The analysts have been lifting their price targets on the back of the earnings upgrade, with the consensus price target rising 7.7% to US$14.00.
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. The period to the end of 2027 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 3.3% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 3.0% annual growth over the past five years. Compare this with the broader industry, which analyst estimates (in aggregate) suggest will see revenues grow 2.6% annually. So it's pretty clear that Crawford is forecast to grow substantially 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 Crawford 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. 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.
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 Crawford going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here.
You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Crawford you should be aware of.
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