Alere Outruns Estimates Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Alere (NYS: ALR) reported earnings Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins were steady, operating margins improved, net margins increased.

Revenue details
Alere recorded revenue of $651.1 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for sales of $631.6 million. GAAP sales were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $578.5 million.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.74. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.71 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS were -$4.62 for Q4 compared to -$12.24 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 52.4%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.0%, 970 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -55.3%, 12,330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $648.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.66.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.62 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.69.

Investor sentiment
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Alere is outperform, with an average price target of $31.20.

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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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