Belden Beats on EPS but GAAP Results Lag (BDC)

Belden Beats on EPS but GAAP Results Lag

Belden (NYSE: BDC ) reported earnings on Feb. 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins contracted, operating margins expanded, net margins shrank.

Revenue details
Belden reported revenue of $464.4 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $493.1 million. GAAP sales were 9.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $425.2 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.61. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.53 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.56 for Q4 were 52% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.17 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 28.4%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 7.2%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.7%, 760 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $474.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.52.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.07 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.82.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 157 members out of 164 rating the stock outperform, and seven members rating it underperform. Among 55 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 54 give Belden a green thumbs-up, and one gives it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Belden is buy, with an average price target of $41.83.

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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 of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. 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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