A.O. Smith (NYSE: AOS) reported earnings on April 20. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
A.O. Smith reported revenue of $468.6 million. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected sales of $469.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 12% higher than the prior-year quarter's $417.4 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 $1.02. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.61 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.02 for Q1 were 16% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.88 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 31.8%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.3%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.1%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $480.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.67.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.94 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.87.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 149 members out of 154 rating the stock outperform, and five members rating it underperform. Among 45 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 43 give A.O. Smith a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on A.O. Smith is outperform, with an average price target of $50.40.

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