Hess Meets on Revenues, Misses on EPS

Hess (NYSE: HES  ) reported earnings on Jan. 30. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Hess met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

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

Gross margins increased, operating margins dropped, net margins increased.

Revenue details
Hess notched revenue of $9.70 billion. The four analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see a top line of $9.68 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 2.3% lower than the prior-year quarter's $9.73 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 $1.20. The 17 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.23 per share. GAAP EPS were $1.66 for Q4 against -$0.39 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 24.1%, 220 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.8%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.0%, 730 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $9.33 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.57.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $36.84 billion. The average EPS estimate is $6.32.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 930 members out of 964 rating the stock outperform, and 34 members rating it underperform. Among 222 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 212 give Hess a green thumbs-up, and 10 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Hess is outperform, with an average price target of $63.74.

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