Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) reported earnings on Feb. 21. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

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

Revenue details
Newfield Exploration reported revenue of $677.0 million. The 10 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $689.5 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 28% higher than the prior-year quarter's $528.0 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 $0.95. The 26 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.02 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.51 for Q4 were 219% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.16 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 69.7%, 420 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 26.6%, 1,300 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.0%, 580 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $675.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.76.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.87 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.51.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 305 members out of 324 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 108 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 105 give Newfield Exploration a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Newfield Exploration is outperform, with an average price target of $58.09.

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