Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB) reported earnings on April 20. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Orbital Sciences missed slightly on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

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

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

Revenue details
Orbital Sciences reported revenue of $338.0 million. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $344.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $317.7 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 $0.22. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.23 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.22 for Q1 were 4.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.21 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 23.4%, 870 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 7.1%, 390 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.8%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $360.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.25.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.48 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.02.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 346 members out of 361 rating the stock outperform, and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 97 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 93 give Orbital Sciences a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Orbital Sciences is buy, with an average price target of $22.40.

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