Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Baidu met expectations on revenues and earnings per share.

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

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

Revenue details
Baidu reported revenue of $677.1 million. The 17 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected a top line of $679.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 82% higher than the prior-year quarter's $372.1 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 $0.85. The 14 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.84 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.85 for Q1 were 81% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.47 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 70.7%, 840 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 49.1%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 44.2%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $871.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.13.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.59 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.62.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 4,284 members out of 4,928 rating the stock outperform, and 644 members rating it underperform. Among 1,218 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 1,096 give Baidu a green thumbs-up, and 122 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Baidu is outperform, with an average price target of $186.61.

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