Smart Balance Goes Negative (BDBD)

Smart Balance Goes Negative

Smart Balance (Nasdaq: SMBL ) reported earnings on Nov. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
Smart Balance booked revenue of $101.3 million. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see a top line of $100.6 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 41% higher than the prior-year quarter's $71.7 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 $0.03. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.04 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.06 for Q3 compared to $0.02 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 41.7%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.1%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -3.7%, 530 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $112.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.07.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $368.1 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.21.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 257 members out of 277 rating the stock outperform, and 20 members rating it underperform. Among 66 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 58 give Smart Balance a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Smart Balance is outperform, with an average price target of $13.29.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Smart Balance. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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