Centrica plc (LON:CNA) shareholders will have a reason to smile today, with the analysts making substantial upgrades to this year's statutory forecasts. The consensus estimated revenue numbers rose, with their view now clearly much more bullish on the company's business prospects.

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Following the upgrade, the most recent consensus for Centrica from its twelve analysts is for revenues of UK£23b in 2025 which, if met, would be a decent 18% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. The losses are expected to disappear over the next year or so, with forecasts for a profit of UK£0.13 per share this year. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK£20b and earnings per share (EPS) of UK£0.13 in 2025. There's clearly been a surge in bullishness around the company's sales pipeline, even if there's no real change in earnings per share forecasts.

View our latest analysis for Centrica LSE:CNA Earnings and Revenue Growth August 3rd 2025

It may not be a surprise to see that the analysts have reconfirmed their price target of UK£1.84, implying that the uplift in sales is not expected to greatly contribute to Centrica's valuation in the near term.

Another way we can view these estimates is in the context of the bigger picture, such as how the forecasts stack up against past performance, and whether forecasts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the industry. It's clear from the latest estimates that Centrica's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 38% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2025 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 13% p.a. over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 3.7% annually. It seems obvious that, while the growth outlook is brighter than the recent past, the analysts also expect Centrica to grow faster than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with analysts reconfirming that earnings per share are expected to continue performing in line with their prior expectations. Fortunately, analysts also upgraded their revenue estimates, and our data indicates sales are expected to perform better than the wider market. Seeing the dramatic upgrade to this year's forecasts, it might be time to take another look at Centrica.

Even so, the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for the value creation of shareholders. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Centrica going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

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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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