Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) reported earnings on Aug. 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended July 28 (Q2), Abercrombie & Fitch met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
Abercrombie & Fitch recorded revenue of $951.4 million. The 26 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected sales of $953.7 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 3.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $916.8 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 $0.19. The 31 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.17 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.19 for Q2 were 46% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.35 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 62.5%, 110 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 2.8%, 240 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.6%, 190 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.12 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.64.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $4.40 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.62.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 829 members out of 1,150 rating the stock outperform, and 321 members rating it underperform. Among 312 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 245 give Abercrombie & Fitch a green thumbs-up, and 67 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Abercrombie & Fitch is hold, with an average price target of $48.35.

If you're invested in retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, you should check out the concept that is The Motley Fool's top stock for 2012. Its founder wrote the book on big box retailing, and it's growing in increasingly important international markets. Click here for instant access to this free report.