Today is shaping up negative for Roivant Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:ROIV) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. Revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts were both revised downwards, with analysts seeing grey clouds on the horizon.

After the downgrade, the nine analysts covering Roivant Sciences are now predicting revenues of US$122m in 2024. If met, this would reflect a meaningful 18% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Per-share losses are expected to creep up to US$1.43. Yet prior to the latest estimates, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$136m and losses of US$1.26 per share in 2024. Ergo, there's been a clear change in sentiment, with the analysts administering a notable cut to this year's revenue estimates, while at the same time increasing their loss per share forecasts.

Check out our latest analysis for Roivant Sciences

The consensus price target was broadly unchanged at US$15.89, perhaps implicitly signalling that the weaker earnings outlook is not expected to have a long-term impact on the valuation.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting Roivant Sciences' growth to accelerate, with the forecast 39% annualised growth to the end of 2024 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 26% per annum over the past three years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 15% annually. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Roivant Sciences to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts increased their loss per share estimates for this year. While analysts did downgrade their revenue estimates, these forecasts still imply revenues will perform better than the wider market. The lack of change in the price target is puzzling in light of the downgrade but, with a serious decline expected this year, we wouldn't be surprised if investors were a bit wary of Roivant Sciences.

Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have estimates - from multiple Roivant Sciences analysts - going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies 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.