Dover (NYSE: DOV) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Dover beat expectations on both revenue and earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, both revenue and GAAP earnings per share increased.

Gross margin shrank, operating margin grew, and net margin contracted.

Revenue details
Dover notched revenue of $2.06 billion. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for a top line of $2 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.81 billion.

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 $1.05. The 14 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.02 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.05 for Q1 were 1.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.03 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 37.8%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 14.5%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.5%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.21 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.23.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $8.76 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.92.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 273 members rating the stock outperform and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 80 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 79 give Dover a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Dover is outperform, with an average price target of $70.

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