ACI Worldwide (Nasdaq: ACIW) reported earnings on Feb. 14. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue shrank and GAAP earnings per share dropped.

Gross margin improved, operating margins dropped, and net margins shrank.

Revenue details
ACI Worldwide booked revenue of $135.0 million. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated sales of $130.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $141.2 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 $0.88. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.75 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.70 for Q4 were 13% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.80 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 76.7%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 27.4%, 290 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 17.7%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $114.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.27.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $558.4 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.94.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 50 members out of 62 rating the stock outperform, and 12 members rating it underperform. Among 25 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 20 give ACI Worldwide a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on ACI Worldwide is outperform, with an average price target of $37.00.

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