How did ASX's Q1 2024 EPS forecast compare to past trends?

**ASX's Q1 2024 EPS forecast was below past trends.** Here's a detailed analysis: 1. **Comparison to Historical Averages**: - ASX's EPS (Diluted) for Q1 2024 was estimated at $0.09, which is lower than the average EPS (Diluted) growth rate of 0.90% per year over the past ten years. - The EPS (Diluted) for the trailing twelve months ended in June 2024 was $2.45, indicating a recent decline from the historical average. |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Diluted EPS (FY) YoY|Diluted EPS (FY)|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2015|-14.337035694622244|0.075632808|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2016|90.16505641308467|0.143827172|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2017|21.744176475916515|0.1751012061|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2018|13.249473613991295|0.1983011942|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2019|-34.07730405891827|0.1307254933|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2020|68.0845612077717|0.2197293718|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2021|122.13865274428461|0.4881038662|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2022|-7.929846899458962|0.4493979769|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2023|-41.572176757166886|0.2625734556|169| |ASX|ASX.N|ASEH|2024|-16.374212504365584|0.21957912|169| 2. **Recent Quarterly Trends**: - Over the last two years, ASX has beaten EPS estimates 100% of the time. However, this does not necessarily indicate a trend upward, as the current estimate is below the historical average. 3. **Analyst Expectations and Actual Performance**: - Analysts estimated an EPS of $0.09 for Q1 2024, but the company reported an EPS of 8.2 cents, which was below the estimate. - This discrepancy suggests that the company's performance was weaker than anticipated by the market, which could be due to various operational or market factors. 4. **Institutional Sentiment and Recent Changes**: - Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in ASX, indicating some confidence in the company's long-term prospects. - Conversely, Truist Financial Corp decreased its holdings, and StockNews.com downgraded ASX from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook. In conclusion, ASX's Q1 2024 EPS forecast was below the company's historical average and recent trends, suggesting a potential decline in earnings compared to the past. This is consistent with the cautious sentiment reflected in recent analyst ratings and institutional actions.