Alere (NYSE: ALR) reported earnings on April 30. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Alere beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins dropped, operating margins shrank, net margins increased.

Revenue details
 Alere reported revenue of $671.1 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for revenue of $658.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 15% higher than the prior-year quarter's $582.5 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 $0.77. The 11 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.67 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.05 for Q1 against $0.09 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 52.6%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.2%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.2%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $656.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.60.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.68 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.67.

Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Alere is outperform, with an average price target of $30.30.

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