Linear Technology Meets on the Top Line, Misses Where It Counts

Updated

Linear Technology (NAS: LLTC) reported earnings on Aug. 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended July 1 (Q4), Linear Technology met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

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


Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Linear Technology logged revenue of $330.0 million. The 22 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see revenue of $330.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 8.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $358.6 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 $0.45. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.47 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.44 for Q4 were 35% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.68 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 75.4%, 260 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 45.9%, 360 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 31.3%, 1,280 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $334.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.46.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.39 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.97.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 721 members out of 754 rating the stock outperform, and 33 members rating it underperform. Among 257 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 251 give Linear Technology a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Linear Technology is outperform, with an average price target of $35.39.

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The article Linear Technology Meets on the Top Line, Misses Where It Counts 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 positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Linear Technology. 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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