Basic Energy Services Meets on the Top Line, Misses Where It Counts

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Basic Energy Services (NYS: BAS) reported earnings on Feb. 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Basic Energy Services met expectations on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins improved across the board.

Revenue details
Basic Energy Services booked revenue of $354.4 million. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $353.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 66% higher than the prior-year quarter's $212.9 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 $0.58. The 15 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.62 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS were $0.54 for Q4 compared to -$0.05 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 39.2%, 550 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.5%, 1,110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.4%, 730 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $353.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.59.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.47 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.52.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 312 members out of 335 rating the stock outperform, and 23 members rating it underperform. Among 99 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 92 give Basic Energy Services a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Basic Energy Services is outperform, with an average price target of $28.27.

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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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