It's been a sad week for Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD), who've watched their investment drop 11% to US$41.44 in the week since the company reported its first-quarter result. Weatherford International reported US$1.2b in revenue, roughly in line with analyst forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.03 beat expectations, being 2.6% higher than what the analysts expected. 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. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Weatherford International after the latest results.

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Following the recent earnings report, the consensus from seven analysts covering Weatherford International is for revenues of US$5.02b in 2025. This implies a perceptible 6.1% decline in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to fall 16% to US$5.41 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$5.12b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$5.77 in 2025. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but the analysts did make a minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts.

See our latest analysis for Weatherford International

The average price target fell 5.4% to US$76.13, with reduced earnings forecasts clearly tied to a lower valuation estimate. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Weatherford International at US$90.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$66.00. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Weatherford International shareholders.

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. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 8.0% annualised decline to the end of 2025. That is a notable change from historical growth of 7.8% 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 3.4% per year. It's pretty clear that Weatherford International's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

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The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that Weatherford International's revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. Furthermore, the analysts also cut their price targets, suggesting that the latest news has led to greater pessimism about the intrinsic value of the business.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Weatherford International. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Weatherford International going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Plus, you should also learn about the  2 warning signs  we've spotted with Weatherford International .

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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.

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