H. J. Heinz Beats Analyst Estimates on EPS

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

H. J. Heinz (NYS: HNZ) reported earnings on Nov. 20. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Oct. 28 (Q2), H. J. Heinz met expectations on revenues and beat slightly on earnings per share.

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


Gross margins grew, operating margins shrank, net margins expanded.

Revenue details
 H. J. Heinz booked revenue of $2.83 billion. The 13 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $2.85 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 0.2% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.83 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 $0.90. The 17 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.88 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.90 for Q2 were 23% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.73 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 35.8%, 60 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.9%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.2%, 180 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.99 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.93.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $11.72 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.54.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 844 members out of 893 rating the stock outperform, and 49 members rating it underperform. Among 298 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 289 give H. J. Heinz a green thumbs-up, and nine give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on H. J. Heinz is outperform, with an average price target of $57.18.

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The article H. J. Heinz Beats Analyst Estimates on EPS 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 H.J. Heinz Company. 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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