Medidata Solutions Crushes Earnings Estimates

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Medidata Solutions (NAS: MDSO) reported earnings on Mar. 6. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins expanded, operating margins dropped, and net margins improved.

Revenue details
Medidata Solutions notched revenue of $47.2 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $47.1 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 0.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $47.4 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
EPS came in at $0.76. The seven earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.26 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.76 for Q4 were 38% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.55 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 72.7%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.0%, 590 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 39.7%, 1,160 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $47.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.18.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $205.1 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.92.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 42 members out of 45 rating the stock outperform, and three members rating it underperform. Among 11 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 11 give Medidata Solutions a green thumbs-up.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Medidata Solutions is hold, with an average price target of $24.63.

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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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