So, the Wheels Came Off AmeriGas Partners's Bus

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

AmeriGas Partners (NYS: APU) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q1), AmeriGas Partners missed estimates on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.

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


Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 AmeriGas Partners logged revenue of $876.6 million. The six analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for a top line of $973.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 28% higher than the prior-year quarter's $683.8 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 $0.93. The seven earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.05 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.93 for Q1 were 69% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.55 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 48.4%, 1,330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 16.6%, 730 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 480 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.30 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.38.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.41 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.38.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 189 members out of 207 rating the stock outperform, and 18 members rating it underperform. Among 63 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 59 give AmeriGas Partners a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on AmeriGas Partners is hold, with an average price target of $42.50.

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The article So, the Wheels Came Off AmeriGas Partners's Bus 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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