Nasdaq OMX Group Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Nasdaq OMX Group (NAS: NDAQ) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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


Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 Nasdaq OMX Group tallied revenue of $419.0 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $409.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 10% lower than the prior-year quarter's $837.0 million.

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 $0.64. The 15 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.61 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.50 for Q4 were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.45 per share.

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 55.7%, 540 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 25.8%, 560 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.3%, 160 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $422.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.67.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.75 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.78.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 581 members out of 604 rating the stock outperform, and 23 members rating it underperform. Among 173 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 169 give Nasdaq OMX Group a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Nasdaq OMX Group is outperform, with an average price target of $27.47.

The article Nasdaq OMX Group Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines originally appeared on Fool.com.

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. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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