Dean Foods (NYSE: DF) reported earnings yesterday. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

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

Revenue details
Dean Foods logged revenue of $3.21 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $3.13 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 5.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.05 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 $0.31. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.21 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.20 for Q1 were 43% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.14 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 24.5%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.7%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.2%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $3.22 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.28.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $12.97 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.08.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 436 members rating the stock outperform and 49 members rating it underperform. Among 107 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 91 give Dean Foods a green thumbs-up, and 16 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Dean Foods is outperform, with an average price target of $13.65.

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