LIN TV Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Updated

LIN TV (NYS: TVL) reported earnings on May 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), LIN TV beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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


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

Revenue details
LIN TV logged revenue of $103.2 million. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for net sales of $101.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $92.6 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 $0.12. The two earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.08 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.08 for Q1 were 167% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.03 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 65.9%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 19.8%, 270 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.1%, 240 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $114.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.19.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $471.5 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.90.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 39 members out of 72 rating the stock outperform, and 33 members rating it underperform. Among 18 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), four give LIN TV a green thumbs-up, and 14 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on LIN TV is buy, with an average price target of $5.00.

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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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