El Paso Pipeline Partners Beats Analyst Estimates on EPS

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

El Paso Pipeline Partners (NYS: EPB) reported earnings on Jan. 16. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), El Paso Pipeline Partners missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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


Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 El Paso Pipeline Partners reported revenue of $390.0 million. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $406.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.7% higher than the prior-year quarter's $362.0 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 $0.62. The 14 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.55 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.82 for Q4 were 61% 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 79.7%, 790 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 63.6%, 950 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 45.6%, 1,660 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $416.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.57.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.70 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.17.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 274 members out of 278 rating the stock outperform, and four members rating it underperform. Among 86 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 85 give El Paso Pipeline Partners 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 El Paso Pipeline Partners is hold, with an average price target of $39.85.

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The article El Paso Pipeline Partners 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 recommends El Paso Pipeline Partners LP. 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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