Will These Numbers from IPC The Hospitalist Be Good Enough for You?

IPC The Hospitalist (Nasdaq: IPCM) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 24. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict IPC The Hospitalist's revenues will grow 14.5% and EPS will grow 10.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $148.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.55.

Revenue details
Last quarter, IPC The Hospitalist booked revenue of $137.6 million. GAAP reported sales were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $117.9 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.50. GAAP EPS of $0.50 for Q4 were 2.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.51 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 27.1%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.0%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.1%, 120 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $599.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.17.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 68 members out of 72 rating the stock outperform, and four members rating it underperform. Among 14 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 14 give IPC The Hospitalist a green thumbs-up, and give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on IPC The Hospitalist is hold, with an average price target of $39.09.

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