Agrium (NYS: AGU) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Agrium beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue improved significantly, and GAAP earnings per share expanded significantly.
Gross margins expanded, operating margins grew, and net margins contracted.
Revenue details
Agrium chalked up revenue of $3.18 billion. The 15 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see a top line of $3.03 billion. GAAP sales were 35% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.35 billion.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $2.34. The 21 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $1.99 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $1.20 for Q4 were 21% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.99 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 32.9%, 190 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.8%, 250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.9%, 80 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.
Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $3.01 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.03.
Next year's average estimate for revenue is $15.44 billion. The average EPS estimate is $9.
Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,714 members rating the stock outperform and 39 members rating it underperform. Among 422 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 414 give Agrium a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Agrium is outperform, with an average price target of $97.49.
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At the time this article was published 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. 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.
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