SPX Misses on Revenues but Beats on EPS

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

SPX (NYS: SPW) reported earnings on Feb. 16. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins dropped, operating margins increased, net margins dropped.

Revenue details
SPX reported revenue of $1.49 billion. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $1.52 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.32 billion.

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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 $1.78. The 11 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.75 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $1.23 for Q4 were 4.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.29 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 27.6%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.2%, 60 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.2%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.16 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.26.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $5.24 billion.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 166 members out of 178 rating the stock outperform, and 12 members rating it underperform. Among 49 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 46 give SPX a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on SPX is outperform, with an average price target of $70.25.

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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