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Estimating Forward EPS Growth and Earnings Revisions with Bloomberg Data

Article Quant Q&A · Author: Nyxynyx
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Summary

The document explains how to construct forward twelve-month earnings-per-share growth and measure earnings revisions from Bloomberg estimates. It cautions that the growth field discussed does not support the needed forward-period override, so it cannot directly hold the forecast horizon constant. Instead, the answer proposes retrieving a forward estimate with a one-period override and comparing it with current earnings per share. For historical work, use a history of estimates and compare the relevant observations.

Earnings revisions are defined operationally as changes in the consensus estimate over a chosen lookback period, such as one or three months. The discussion gives a practical calculation approach, but no worked example or validation against a separate data source. It also does not specify how to handle changes in constituents, fiscal calendars, restatements, or missing estimates, so those details must be addressed when building a robust historical analysis.

Key ideas

  • The cited forward growth field does not permit the override needed to keep the forecast horizon fixed.
  • A forward estimate with a one-period override can be compared with current earnings per share to construct a growth measure.
  • Historical growth analysis can compare observations from an earnings estimate history.
  • An earnings revision over a chosen window is the change in the consensus estimate across that period.
  • Historical calculations need additional conventions for missing estimates and changes in fiscal periods.

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# Forward 12m EPS Growth and its Earning Revision using Bloomberg


# Forward 12m EPS Growth and its Earning Revision using Bloomberg












I'm currently trying to figure out how to use data from Bloomberg to create some analysis on a company's performance using Excel/R.

How can I find the Forward 12m EPS Growth, its 1m Earning Revision and 3m Earning Revision?

Question 1: Is the Forward 12m EPS Growth obtained directly using the field `BEST_EPS_YOY_GTH`?

Question 2: How then do we find the 1m Earning Revision and 3m Earning Revision?

## Answer by user18489 (score 1)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/30066

There is no direct way to estimate Forward 12m EPS Growth using a single bloomberg formula with overrides. `BEST_EPS_YOY_GTH` does not allow BF overrides, only FY. Therefore you cannot keep 12m horizon constant. One solution would be to get `BEST_EPS` with BF1 override and compare this number with current EPS. For historical analysis, retrieve historical EPS vector and compare it with `BEST_EPS`.

With respect to `Earnings revisions` you simply have to estimate the chg in `BEST_EPS` over any specified period (1mo,3mo etc.).

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (Stack Exchange)

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.