CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) reported earnings on Aug. 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), CVS Caremark met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins shrank, operating margins were steady, net margins were steady.

Revenue details
 CVS Caremark recorded revenue of $30.71 billion. The 17 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $31.02 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $26.23 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 $0.81. The 20 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.80 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.75 for Q2 were 27% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.59 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 17.7%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.6%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.1%, about the same as the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $30.18 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.84.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $123.03 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.30.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,664 members out of 1,730 rating the stock outperform, and 66 members rating it underperform. Among 406 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 394 give CVS Caremark a green thumbs-up, and 12 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on CVS Caremark is outperform, with an average price target of $50.58.

If you're interested in retailers like CVS Caremark as investments, you should check out the retail concept that is The Motley Fool's top stock for 2012. Its founder wrote the book on big box retailing, and it's growing in increasingly important international markets. Click here for instant access to this free report.