WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) reported earnings on April 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
WellPoint logged revenue of $15.15 billion. The 14 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $15.40 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 3.5% higher than the prior-year quarter's $14.89 billion.

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 $2.34. The 20 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $2.26 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $2.53 for Q1 were 3.7% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.44 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 23.6%, 100 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.2%, 110 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.6%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $15.52 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.08.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $62.31 billion. The average EPS estimate is $7.73.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 911 members out of 969 rating the stock outperform, and 58 members rating it underperform. Among 301 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 294 give WellPoint a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on WellPoint is outperform, with an average price target of $84.88.

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