Scientific Games Increases Sales but Misses Estimates on Earnings

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Scientific Games (NAS: SGMS) reported earnings on Feb. 28. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased and GAAP loss per share shrank.

Gross margins were steady, operating margins dropped, and net margins expanded.

Revenue details
Scientific Games booked revenue of $239.1 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $235.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $212.1 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 -$0.05. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.09 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS were -$0.09 for Q4 versus -$1.74 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 43.2%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.4%, 220 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -3.6%, 7,110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $227.5 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $976.1 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.37.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 145 members out of 163 rating the stock outperform, and 18 members rating it underperform. Among 40 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 35 give Scientific Games a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Scientific Games is outperform, with an average price target of $12.90.

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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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