Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) reported earnings on April 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue shrank slightly. Non-GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly. GAAP earnings per share shrank slightly.

Gross margins dropped, operating margins grew, net margins shrank.

Revenue details
 Noble Energy notched revenue of $1.14 billion. The 14 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw sales of $1.09 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 10% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.04 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 $1.48. The 26 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $1.25 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $1.48 for Q1 were 15% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.75 per share. (The prior-year quarter included $0.08 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.) GAAP EPS of $1.44 for Q1 were 2.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.48 per share. (The prior-year quarter included $0.08 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.)

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 83.6%, 50 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 37.2%, 710 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 22.8%, 270 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.18 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.46.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $5.17 billion. The average EPS estimate is $6.91.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 399 members out of 416 rating the stock outperform, and 17 members rating it underperform. Among 90 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 85 give Noble Energy 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 Noble Energy is outperform, with an average price target of $128.48.

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