Why CARBO Ceramics Shares Jumped

By Travis Hoium – Jul 25, 2013 at 3:15PM

NYSE: CRR

CARBO Ceramics

Is this meaningful or just another movement?

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of CARBO Ceramics (CRR) got back on track today, jumping 14% after releasing earnings.

So what: Revenue dropped 13.5% from a year ago to $153.7 million, but came in well ahead of the $142.2 million estimate. Earnings of $0.71 per share were also $0.05 ahead of estimates, so investors cheered a much needed good quarter.

Now what: Demand picked up in the quarter and so did margins, which may mean that the company's education campaign could be paying off. Management has been on a mission to display the advantages of CARBO's proppants versus lower quality Chinese products, and it's seeing fruits of that labor. The market is still challenging but, if the company can get back to growth, then its current P/E ratio of 20 won't look so expensive.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.