Metals USA Holdings Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Metals USA Holdings (NYS: MUSA) reported earnings on Jan. 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Metals USA Holdings met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Metals USA Holdings booked revenue of $455.7 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for sales of $452.3 million. Sales were 41% higher than the prior-year quarter's $323.9 million.

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

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.37. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.32 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.45 for Q4 were 358% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.08 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 12.7%, 110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.9%, 230 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.1%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $483.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.46.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.00 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.87.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 21 members out of 23 rating the stock outperform, and two members rating it underperform. Among nine CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), eight give Metals USA Holdings a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Metals USA Holdings is outperform, with an average price target of $17.00.

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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 don't 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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