Ceradyne (Nasdaq: CRDN) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
Ceradyne tallied revenue of $106.3 million. The six analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for revenue of $120.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 29% lower than the prior-year quarter's $150.1 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 $0.17. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.35 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.16 for Q1 were 83% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.94 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 27.4%, 1,130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 7.5%, 1,660 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.6%, 1,210 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $142.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.54.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $595.8 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.38.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,249 members out of 1,286 rating the stock outperform, and 37 members rating it underperform. Among 377 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 369 give Ceradyne a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Ceradyne is outperform, with an average price target of $36.60.

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