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

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

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

Gross margins contracted, operating margins dropped, and net margins grew.

Revenue details
Stericycle recorded revenue of $460.1 million. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted net sales of $452.5 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 16% higher than the prior-year quarter's $398.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.78. The 11 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.76 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.75 for Q1 were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.64 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 46.9%, 140 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 26.2%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.1%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $469.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.80.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.89 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.25.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 283 members out of 307 rating the stock outperform, and 24 members rating it underperform. Among 88 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 81 give Stericycle a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Stericycle is outperform, with an average price target of $92.60.