Hub Group Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Hub Group (Nasdaq: HUBG  ) reported earnings yesterday. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Hub Group 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 improved significantly.

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Hub Group notched revenue of $739.9 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $718.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 52% higher than the prior-year quarter's $485.4 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 $0.37. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.36 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.37 for Q1 were 32% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.28 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%, 50 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.0%, 80 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.8%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $805.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.49.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.19 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.99.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 77 members rating the stock outperform and seven members rating it underperform. Among 30 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 27 give Hub Group a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Hub Group is outperform, with an average price target of $41.38.

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