MeadWestvaco (NYSE: MWV) reported earnings on Oct. 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), MeadWestvaco met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
 MeadWestvaco reported revenue of $1.40 billion. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $1.41 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 15% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.64 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 $0.39. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.39 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.29 for Q3 were 57% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.67 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 21.5%, 330 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.0%, 310 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.7%, 340 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.33 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.24.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $5.53 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.43.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 91 members out of 110 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 46 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 41 give MeadWestvaco a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on MeadWestvaco is outperform, with an average price target of $33.58.

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