Investors in Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HURN) had a good week, as its shares rose 4.8% to close at US$141 following the release of its first-quarter results. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$396m were in line with what the analysts predicted, Huron Consulting Group surprised by delivering a statutory profit of US$1.33 per share, a notable 19% above expectations. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We've gathered the most recent statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their earnings models, following these results.

Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Huron Consulting Group. Read for free now.NasdaqGS:HURN Earnings and Revenue Growth May 2nd 2025

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Huron Consulting Group from five analysts is for revenues of US$1.62b in 2025. If met, it would imply a satisfactory 6.3% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to fall 14% to US$6.61 in the same period. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$1.62b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$7.03 in 2025. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the small dip in their earnings per share numbers for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Huron Consulting Group

The consensus price target held steady at US$171, with the analysts seemingly voting that their lower forecast earnings are not expected to lead to a lower stock price in the foreseeable future. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Huron Consulting Group at US$180 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$165. Even so, with a relatively close grouping of estimates, it looks like the analysts are quite confident in their valuations, suggesting Huron Consulting Group is an easy business to forecast or the the analysts are all using similar assumptions.

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 Huron Consulting Group's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 8.5% annualised growth rate until the end of 2025 being well below the historical 14% p.a. growth over the last five years. Juxtapose this against the other companies in the industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenues (in aggregate) 6.9% annually. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it looks like Huron Consulting Group is forecast to grow at about the same rate as 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. They also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, with the company predicted to grow at about the same rate as the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$171, 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 Huron Consulting Group going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted  2 warning signs for Huron Consulting Group 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.

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