Wright Express Beats Analyst Estimates on EPS

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Wright Express (NYS: WXS) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins increased across the board.

Revenue details
 Wright Express logged revenue of $139.8 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $141.1 million. GAAP sales were 22% higher than the prior-year quarter's $114.9 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 $0.98. The eight earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.92 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.84 for Q4 were 79% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.47 per share.

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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 79.0%, 460 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 43.4%, 1,560 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 23.5%, 740 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.87.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $609.4 million. The average EPS estimate is $4.26.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 76 members out of 84 rating the stock outperform, and eight members rating it underperform. Among 31 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 29 give Wright Express 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 Wright Express is outperform, with an average price target of $57.13.

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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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