Capella Education (Nasdaq: CPLA) reported earnings on Feb. 14. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Capella Education met expectations on revenue and missed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
Capella Education logged revenue of $110.0 million. The 13 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see sales of $110.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.1% lower than the prior-year quarter's $114.7 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.90. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.91 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.85 for Q4 were 22% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.09 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 59.7%, 370 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.3%, 640 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 470 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $108.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.85.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $424.5 million. The average EPS estimate is $3.18.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 221 members out of 233 rating the stock outperform, and 12 members rating it underperform. Among 76 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 75 give Capella Education a green thumbs-up, and one gives it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Capella Education is hold, with an average price target of $41.60.

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