Kirby (NYSE: KEX) reported earnings on Oct. 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Kirby 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.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 Kirby booked revenue of $521.3 million. The 11 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected a top line of $509.4 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $563.6 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 $0.95. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.90 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.95 for Q3 were 1.1% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.94 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 33.8%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 17.8%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.2%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $516.5 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.89.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.11 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.61.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 185 members out of 195 rating the stock outperform, and 10 members rating it underperform. Among 46 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 44 give Kirby a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Kirby is outperform, with an average price target of $64.00.