What to Expect from ION Geophysical

ION Geophysical (NYSE: IO  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings around Feb. 15. 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 ION Geophysical's revenues will expand 6.7% and EPS will compress -13.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $170.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.13.

Revenue details
Last quarter, ION Geophysical logged revenue of $136.3 million. GAAP reported sales were 18% higher than the prior-year quarter's $115.7 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 $0.09. GAAP EPS of $0.09 for Q3 were 50% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.06 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 41.0%, 290 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.4%, 240 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.1%, 330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $523.9 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.35.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 739 members out of 777 rating the stock outperform, and 38 members rating it underperform. Among 181 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 175 give ION Geophysical a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on ION Geophysical is outperform, with an average price target of $11.00.

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