Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Pitney Bowes beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
 Pitney Bowes booked revenue of $1.29 billion. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $1.27 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.34 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 $0.56. The four earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.49 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.55 for Q4 were 57% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.29 per share. (The prior-year quarter included $1.04 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.)

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 49.6%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.2%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.6%, 1,060 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.19 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.50.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $4.75 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.93.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 292 members out of 357 rating the stock outperform, and 65 members rating it underperform. Among 102 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 91 give Pitney Bowes a green thumbs-up, and 11 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Pitney Bowes is outperform, with an average price target of $15.00.

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