What to Expect from Piedmont Natural Gas

Updated

Piedmont Natural Gas (NYS: PNY) is expected to report Q1 earnings around Jan. 24. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Piedmont Natural Gas's revenues will increase 6.0% and EPS will grow 9.5%.

The average estimate for revenue is $500.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.15.


Revenue details
Last quarter, Piedmont Natural Gas logged revenue of $181.4 million. GAAP reported sales were 5.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $192.0 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at -$0.03. GAAP EPS were -$0.03 for Q4 compared to -$0.13 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 17.8%, 390 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -1.4%, 280 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -1.1%, 390 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $1.21 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.75.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 173 members out of 189 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 57 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 54 give Piedmont Natural Gas a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Piedmont Natural Gas is hold, with an average price target of $30.83.

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The article What to Expect from Piedmont Natural Gas 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 Piedmont Natural Gas 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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