Corinthian Colleges (Nasdaq: COCO) reported earnings on May 3. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended March 31 (Q3), Corinthian Colleges missed estimates on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
 Corinthian Colleges booked revenue of $424.1 million. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $433.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 8.3% lower than the prior-year quarter's $462.3 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 $0.15. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.15 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.05 for Q3 were 74% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.19 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 39.6%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.1%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.0%, 250 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $402.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.11.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.66 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.27.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 294 members out of 359 rating the stock outperform, and 65 members rating it underperform. Among 80 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 61 give Corinthian Colleges a green thumbs-up, and 19 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Corinthian Colleges is hold, with an average price target of $4.03.

Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like Corinthian Colleges 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.