Tidewater (NYSE: TDW) reported earnings on Feb. 1. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q3), Tidewater beat slightly on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
 Tidewater reported revenue of $309.5 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for net sales of $303.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter's $272.1 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 $0.68. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.43 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.61 for Q3 were 9.0% 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 40.2%, 350 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.2%, 100 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.7%, 280 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $323.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.84.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.23 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.72.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 699 members out of 723 rating the stock outperform, and 24 members rating it underperform. Among 194 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 191 give Tidewater a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Tidewater is outperform, with an average price target of $57.00.

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