Altera (Nasdaq: ALTR) reported earnings on April 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended March 29 (Q1), Altera met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew. GAAP earnings per share increased.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
 Altera reported revenue of $410.5 million. The 27 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated revenue of $413.5 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $383.8 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 $0.37. The 26 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.32 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.37 for Q1 were 5.7% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.35 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 69.3%, 80 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 27.9%, 250 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 29.3%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $438.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.31.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.76 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.46.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 325 members out of 353 rating the stock outperform, and 28 members rating it underperform. Among 97 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 92 give Altera a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Altera is outperform, with an average price target of $36.07.

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