Old Dominion Freight Line Meets on Revenues, Misses on EPS

Old Dominion Freight Line (Nasdaq: ODFL  ) reported earnings on Feb. 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

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

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

Revenue details
Old Dominion Freight Line tallied revenue of $527.3 million. The 14 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $535.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 8.7% higher than the prior-year quarter's $485.1 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 $0.46. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.50 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.46 were the same as 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 25.8%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 12.8%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 7.5%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $528.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.41.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.30 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.24.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 105 members out of 125 rating the stock outperform, and 20 members rating it underperform. Among 40 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 33 give Old Dominion Freight Line a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Old Dominion Freight Line is outperform, with an average price target of $36.44.

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