Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) reported earnings on May 16. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended April 28 (Q1), Limited Brands beat slightly on revenue and met expectations on earnings per share.

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

Gross margin and operating margin improved, while net margin contracted.

Revenue details
Limited Brands booked revenue of $2.15 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $2.13 billion on the same basis. GAAP-reported sales were 2.9% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.22 billion.

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 $0.41. The 22 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.41 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.41 for Q1 were 18% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.50 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 41.9%, 390 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.6%, 380 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.8%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.36 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.45.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $10.33 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.82.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 562 members rating the stock outperform and 100 members rating it underperform. Among 212 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 190 give Limited Brands a green thumbs-up, and 22 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Limited Brands is outperform, with an average price target of $49.35.

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