Can American Science & Engineering Beat These Numbers?

American Science & Engineering (Nasdaq: ASEI  ) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Feb. 11. 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 American Science & Engineering's revenues will shrink -15.1% and EPS will drop -36.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $49.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.53.

Revenue details
Last quarter, American Science & Engineering booked revenue of $46.3 million. GAAP reported sales were 16% lower than the prior-year quarter's $54.8 million.

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

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.76. GAAP EPS of $0.76 for Q2 were 2.7% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.74 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 45.4%, 50 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 20.7%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 13.8%, 130 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $198.4 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.24.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 971 members out of 1,000 rating the stock outperform, and 29 members rating it underperform. Among 312 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 307 give American Science & Engineering 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 American Science & Engineering is hold, with an average price target of $62.80.

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