Celanese (NYSE: CE) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Gross margins shrank, operating margins dropped, and net margins expanded.

Revenue details
Celanese booked revenue of $1.63 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected a top line of $1.62 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 2.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.59 billion.

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 $0.72. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.77 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $1.15 for Q1 were 28% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.90 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 16.5%, 560 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.9%, 570 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.2%, 230 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.83 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.62.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $7.06 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.74.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 343 members out of 371 rating the stock outperform, and 28 members rating it underperform. Among 91 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 87 give Celanese a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Celanese is outperform, with an average price target of $57.18.