USG (NYSE: USG) reported earnings on April 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), USG met expectations on revenues and exceeded expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins increased across the board.

Revenue details
USG reported revenue of $812.0 million. The 13 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $815.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $721.0 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 -$0.24. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated -$0.42 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS were -$0.26 for Q1 against -$1.01 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 13.5%, 850 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.6%, 1,040 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -3.3%, 1,130 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $848.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.28.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.39 billion. The average EPS estimate is -$1.21.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,722 members out of 1,870 rating the stock outperform, and 148 members rating it underperform. Among 511 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 471 give USG a green thumbs-up, and 40 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on USG is hold, with an average price target of $16.56.

Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like USG have provided market-beating returns, provided they're value priced and have solid businesses. Read about a pair of companies with a lock on their markets in "Too Small to Fail: Two Small Caps the Government Won't Let Go Broke." Click here for instant access to this free report.