The analysts covering Shoals Technologies Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHLS) delivered a dose of negativity to shareholders today, by making a substantial revision to their statutory forecasts for this year. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously.

After this downgrade, Shoals Technologies Group's 18 analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$502m in 2024. This would be a credible 2.6% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to soar 92% to US$0.45. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$626m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.67 in 2024. It looks like analyst sentiment has declined substantially, with a substantial drop in revenue estimates and a pretty serious decline to earnings per share numbers as well.

View our latest analysis for Shoals Technologies Group

The consensus price target fell 20% to US$18.85, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading analyst valuation estimates.

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. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Shoals Technologies Group's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2024 expected to display 2.6% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 29% over the past five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 8.0% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while revenue growth is expected to slow down, the wider industry is also expected to grow faster than Shoals Technologies Group.

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 Shoals Technologies Group. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Shoals Technologies Group's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. Given the scope of the downgrades, it would not be a surprise to see the market become more wary of the business.

Still, the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Shoals Technologies Group going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.