Why Hornbeck Offshore's Share Jumped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of marine transport provider Hornbeck Offshore Services jumped 13% today after the company released earnings.

So what: Revenue jumped 23% from a year ago, to $147.5 million, and adjusted earnings per share jumped from $0.17, to $0.59 per share. Wall Street only expected $136.6 million in revenue, and earnings of $0.30 per share, so results shocked investors.

Now what: Both upstream and downstream revenue were up significantly over a year ago, and operating margins were up as a result. A big jump in utilization of offshore supply vessels drove revenue growth, and because the company's largest expense is capital expenditures, increased revenues provides leverage to the bottom line. I think strong demand will continue as offshore drilling picks up in the Gulf of Mexico, and that will continue to push the stock higher.

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The article Why Hornbeck Offshore's Share Jumped originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. 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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