Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) reported earnings on Feb. 21. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew, and GAAP loss per share dropped.

Margins expanded across the board.

Revenue details
Cedar Fair tallied revenue of $572.3 million. The three analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $560.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 12% higher than the prior-year quarter's $129.7 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 $2.95. The two earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $2.88 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS were -$0.01 for Q3 compared to -$1.14 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 36.9%, 340 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.9%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -0.4%, 4,830 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $143.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.16.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.03 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.29.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 343 members rating the stock outperform and 80 members rating it underperform. Among 113 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 96 give Cedar Fair a green thumbs-up, and 17 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Cedar Fair is buy, with an average price target of $25.

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