Raven Industries (Nasdaq: RAVN) reported earnings yesterday. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Jan. 31 (Q4), Raven Industries crushed expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Raven Industries chalked up revenue of $96.3 million. The one analyst polled by S&P Capital IQ expected net sales of $78.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 36% higher than the prior-year quarter's $70.7 million.

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

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.60. The one earnings estimate compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.48 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.60 for Q4 were 46% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.41 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 28.9%, 200 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 17.2%, 280 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.4%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $112.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.89.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $399.9 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.93.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 463 members rating the stock outperform and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 174 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 171 give Raven Industries 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 Raven Industries is outperform, with an average price target of $61.

Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like Raven Industries have provided market-beating returns, provided they're value priced and have solid businesses. Read about a pair of companies with a lock on their markets in "Too Small to Fail: Two Small Caps the Government Won't Let Go Broke." Click here for instant access to this free report.