Eaton Vance (NYSE: EV) reported earnings on March 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Jan. 31 (Q1), Eaton Vance met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins grew, operating margins dropped, and net margins increased.

Revenue details
Eaton Vance notched revenue of $295.6 million. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected net sales of $294.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.2% lower than the prior-year quarter's $308.6 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 $0.47. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.44 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.40 for Q1 were 33% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.30 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 80.3%, 440 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 31.4%, 80 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 16.0%, 380 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $294.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.46.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.20 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.89.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 105 members out of 122 rating the stock outperform, and 17 members rating it underperform. Among 32 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 30 give Eaton Vance a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Eaton Vance is hold, with an average price target of $25.21.

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