Northeast Utilities Increases Sales but Misses Revenue Estimate

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Northeast Utilities (NYS: NU) reported earnings on Nov. 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Northeast Utilities missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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


Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 Northeast Utilities booked revenue of $1.86 billion. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for revenue of $1.93 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 67% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.11 billion.

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 $0.70. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.68 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.66 for Q3 were 29% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.51 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 44.0%, 660 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 24.5%, 460 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.2%, 310 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.89 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.63.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $6.90 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.30.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 116 members out of 124 rating the stock outperform, and eight members rating it underperform. Among 37 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 36 give Northeast Utilities a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Northeast Utilities is outperform, with an average price target of $40.38.

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The article Northeast Utilities Increases Sales but Misses Revenue Estimate 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. 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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