CEVA Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

CEVA (NAS: CEVA) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins expanded, operating margins improved, net margins shrank.

Revenue details
CEVA booked revenue of $16.0 million. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated net sales of $14.9 million. Sales were 22% higher than the prior-year quarter's $13.0 million.

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

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.26. The 11 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.22 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.20 for Q4 were 7.1% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.19 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 94.2%, 290 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 30.8%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 30.4%, 190 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $15.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.23.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $65.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.03.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 181 members out of 204 rating the stock outperform, and 23 members rating it underperform. Among 51 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 49 give CEVA a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on CEVA is buy, with an average price target of $36.20.

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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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