Acxiom (Nasdaq: ACXM) reported earnings on May 15. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Acxiom beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped and GAAP earnings per share grew.

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

Revenue details
Acxiom recorded revenue of $287.3 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw a top line of $280.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 3.9% lower than the prior-year quarter's $298.8 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 $0.22. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.17 per share. GAAP EPS were $0.59 for Q4 against -$0.84 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 25.0%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 7.8%, 390 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 16.0%, 3,840 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $271.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.10.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.12 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.60.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 58 members out of 84 rating the stock outperform, and 26 members rating it underperform. Among 29 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 23 give Acxiom a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Acxiom is outperform, with an average price target of $15.60.

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