Booz Allen Hamilton Increases Sales but Misses Revenue Estimate

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYS: BAH) reported earnings Feb. 3. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q3), Booz Allen Hamilton missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Booz Allen Hamilton reported revenue of $1.44 billion. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $1.48 billion. Sales were 3.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.39 billion.

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

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.40. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.39 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.44 for Q3 were 144% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.18 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 23.7%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.8%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.4%, 270 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.57 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.43.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $5.89 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.61.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 42 members out of 45 rating the stock outperform, and three members rating it underperform. Among seven CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), seven give Booz Allen Hamilton a green thumbs-up.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Booz Allen Hamilton is outperform, with an average price target of $20.00.

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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 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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