Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) reported earnings on Jan. 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Sherwin-Williams met expectations on revenue and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue improved, and earnings per share dropped significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
Sherwin-Williams booked revenue of $2.07 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $2.05 billion. Sales were 9.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.90 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.87. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.83 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.14 for Q4 were 79% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.67 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 42.8%, 180 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.4%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.7%, 310 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.00 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.70.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $9.26 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.56.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 392 members out of 436 rating the stock outperform, and 44 members rating it underperform. Among 183 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 171 give Sherwin-Williams a green thumbs-up, and 12 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Sherwin-Williams is hold, with an average price target of $85.85.