BMC Software (Nasdaq: BMC) reported earnings on May 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), BMC Software met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Compared with the prior-year quarter, revenue was unchanged and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
BMC Software logged revenue of $564.7 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for a top line of $561.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 0.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $562.2 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 $0.74. The 14 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.80 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.43 for Q4 were 36% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.67 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 71.7%, 450 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.8%, 730 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 12.5%, 930 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $520.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.76.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.29 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.51.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 312 members out of 331 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 107 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 103 give BMC Software 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 BMC Software is outperform, with an average price target of $42.23.

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