News Corp. Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines (NWSA)

News Corp. Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWSA ) reported earnings on Feb. 6. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q2), News Corp. beat slightly on revenues and beat slightly on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins contracted, operating margins expanded, net margins expanded.

Revenue details
News Corp. chalked up revenue of $9.43 billion. The 19 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $9.28 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 5.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $8.98 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 $0.44. The 21 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.43 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.01 for Q2 were 140% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.42 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 37.7%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 31.6%, 1,490 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 25.3%, 1,350 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $8.76 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.42.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $35.13 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.71.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 116 members out of 141 rating the stock outperform, and 25 members rating it underperform. Among 52 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 46 give News Corp. a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on News Corp. is outperform, with an average price target of $27.66.

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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 position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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