Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) reported earnings on May 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Ship Finance International Limited met expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins improved across the board.

Revenue details
Ship Finance International Limited reported revenue of $84.1 million. The one analyst polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $85.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 21% higher than the prior-year quarter's $69.8 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 $0.61. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.35 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.49 for Q1 were 20% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.41 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 72.6%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 53.0%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 46.3%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $137.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.38.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $420.7 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.67.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,103 members out of 1,130 rating the stock outperform, and 28 members rating it underperform. Among 232 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 222 give Ship Finance International Limited a green thumbs-up, and 10 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Ship Finance International Limited is outperform, with an average price target of $15.86.

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