Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) reported earnings on April 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
 Forest Laboratories logged revenue of $821.7 million. The 19 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for revenue of $806.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 22% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.05 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 $0.25. The 19 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.16 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.25 for Q4 were 68% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.78 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.17 for Q4 were 76% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.72 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 78.4%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.8%, much worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.5%, much worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $803.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.13.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.50 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.02.

Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Forest Laboratories is outperform, with an average price target of $38.95.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.