AmerisourceBergen Increases Sales but Misses Estimates on Earnings

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

AmerisourceBergen (NYS: ABC) reported earnings on Jan. 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q1), AmerisourceBergen beat slightly on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins were steady, operating margins were steady, and net margins were steady.

Revenue details
AmerisourceBergen reported revenue of $20.36 billion. The 13 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated revenue of $19.99 billion. Sales were 2.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $19.89 billion.

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

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.62. The earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.63 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.62 for Q1 were 8.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.57 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 2.9%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 1.4%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.8%, about the same as the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $20.05 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.81.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $80.88 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.81.

Investor sentiment
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on AmerisourceBergen is outperform, with an average price target of $45.70.

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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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