Ameresco Beats on EPS But GAAP Results Lag

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Ameresco (NYS: AMRC) reported earnings on March 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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


Gross margins expanded, operating margins dropped, net margins dropped.

Revenue details
 Ameresco chalked up revenue of $156.6 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected a top line of $165.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 17% lower than the prior-year quarter's $188.5 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 $0.13. The one earnings estimate compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.10 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.13 for Q4 were 28% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.18 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.11 for Q4 were 42% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.19 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 21.1%, 250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.6%, 260 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.1%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $125.4 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.03.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $639.8 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.42.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 423 members out of 433 rating the stock outperform, and 10 members rating it underperform. Among 81 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 81 give Ameresco 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 Ameresco is outperform, with an average price target of $12.08.

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The article Ameresco Beats on EPS But GAAP Results Lag 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 Ameresco. 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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