NZ listed company earnings underwhelm analysts in market priced for stronger growth

NZ listed company earnings underwhelm analysts in market priced for stronger growth
By Suze Metherell March 9 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's listed companies beat earnings estimates on average in the latest results season, but still fell short of the bullish growth expectations built into stock prices, analysts say. Per-share earnings at the 42 companies followed by analysts at Forsyth Barr rose a median 3.5 percent, beating a forecast gain of 3.3 percent. Sales on that basis grew 7.4 percent versus a forecast 6.6 percent, while dividends matched estimates with a rise of 2.9 percent. First NZ Capital said about 80 percen...