Granite Construction Whiffs on Revenues

Granite Construction (NYSE: GVA  ) reported earnings on Feb. 28. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue contracted. Non-GAAP earnings per share dropped. GAAP earnings per share dropped.

Gross margins dropped, operating margins contracted, net margins expanded.

Revenue details
Granite Construction booked revenue of $504.8 million. The six analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for revenue of $612.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $539.5 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 $0.48. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.53 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.48 for Q4 were 2.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.49 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.46 for Q4 were 4.2% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.48 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 11.3%, 340 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -0.1%, 720 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.6%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $359.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.20.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.56 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.87.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 217 members out of 240 rating the stock outperform, and 23 members rating it underperform. Among 78 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 68 give Granite Construction 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 Granite Construction is outperform, with an average price target of $32.57.

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