Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFM) reported earnings yesterday. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Jan. 15 (Q1), Whole Foods Market met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins expanded across the board.

Revenue details
Whole Foods Market recorded revenue of $3.39 billion. The 18 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $3.38 billion. GAAP sales were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.00 billion.

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 $0.65. The 22 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.60 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.65 for Q1 were 27% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.51 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 34.7%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.7%, 70 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.5%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.65 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.58.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $11.59 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.27.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 4,058 members out of 4,620 rating the stock outperform, and 562 members rating it underperform. Among 1,435 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 1,338 give Whole Foods Market a green thumbs-up, and 97 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Whole Foods Market is outperform, with an average price target of $76.75.

While many retailers continue to struggle in these tough economic time, a select few are changing the face of the business, and reaping outsized rewards. Is Whole Foods Market the right stock for you? Read "The Death of Wal-Mart: The Real Cash Kings Changing the Face of Retail" and decide. Click here for instant access to this free report.