McGraw-Hill Beats Analyst Estimates on EPS

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

McGraw-Hill (NYS: MHP) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins shrank, operating margins dropped, and net margins grew.

Revenue details
McGraw-Hill notched revenue of $1.52 billion. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see revenue of $1.54 billion. Sales were 0.3% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.52 billion.

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

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.63. The seven earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.57 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.74 for Q4 were 48% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.50 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 15.9%, 4,550 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.9%, 200 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.1%, 400 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.32 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.44.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $6.55 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.24.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 484 members out of 530 rating the stock outperform, and 46 members rating it underperform. Among 223 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 200 give McGraw-Hill a green thumbs-up, and 23 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on McGraw-Hill is outperform, with an average price target of $47.14.

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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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