Ship Finance International Beats Expectations But Takes A Step Back Anyway

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Ship Finance International (NYS: SFL) reported earnings on Feb. 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew slightly. Non-GAAP earnings per share contracted significantly. GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.


Gross margins contracted, operating margins increased, net margins increased.

Revenue details
 Ship Finance International logged revenue of $77.7 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated revenue of $100.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 14% lower than the prior-year quarter's $76.1 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 $0.34. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.33 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.34 for Q4 were 17% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.41 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.60 for Q4 were 58% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.38 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 59.9%, much worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 53.1%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 77.9%, much better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $80.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.29.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $268.6 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.37.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 509 members out of 536 rating the stock outperform, and 27 members rating it underperform. Among 109 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 102 give Ship Finance International a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Ship Finance International is outperform, with an average price target of $19.02.

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The article Ship Finance International Beats Expectations But Takes A Step Back Anyway 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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