Nordic American Tankers (NYSE: NAT) reported earnings on Feb. 12. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Nordic American Tankers beat expectations on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped and GAAP loss per share increased.

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
 Nordic American Tankers logged revenue of $17.5 million. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see net sales of $16.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 29% lower than the prior-year quarter's $24.6 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 -$0.39. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated -$0.38 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.61 for Q4 against -$0.37 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 8.6%, 710 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -104.1%, 3,120 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -185.6%, 11,390 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $19.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.13.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $90.8 million. The average EPS estimate is -$0.68.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 907 members out of 954 rating the stock outperform, and 47 members rating it underperform. Among 172 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 158 give Nordic American Tankers a green thumbs-up, and 14 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Nordic American Tankers is hold, with an average price target of $9.71.

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