Lear Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Updated

Lear (NYS: LEA) reported earnings on Feb. 1. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Lear beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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


Gross margins contracted, operating margins contracted, net margins grew.

Revenue details
Lear recorded revenue of $3.72 billion. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $3.58 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.51 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 $1.48. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $1.37 per share. GAAP EPS of $9.00 for Q4 were much higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.02 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 8.1%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.3%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 23.7%, 2,070 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $3.60 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.14.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $15.18 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.07.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 92 members out of 94 rating the stock outperform, and two members rating it underperform. Among 34 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 34 give Lear a green thumbs-up, and give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Lear is outperform, with an average price target of $56.38.

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The article Lear Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines 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 position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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