Baker Hughes Increases Sales but Misses Estimates on Earnings

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Baker Hughes (NYS: BHI) reported earnings Jan. 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Baker Hughes missed slightly on revenues and missed on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue improved significantly, and earnings per share contracted.

Gross margins increased, operating margins grew, net margins dropped.

Revenue details
Baker Hughes notched revenue of $5.4 billion. The 20 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for revenue of $5.5 billion. Sales were 22% higher than the prior-year quarter's $4.4 billion.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.22. The 28 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $1.32 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.72 for Q4 were 7.1% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.77 per share.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 23.6%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.6%, 160 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.8%, 180 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $5.5 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.30.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $22.9 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.52.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,132 members out of 1,177 rating the stock outperform, and 45 members rating it underperform. Among 371 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 363 give Baker Hughes a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Baker Hughes is outperform, with an average price target of $75.58.

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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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