Sempra Energy Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE  ) reported earnings on Feb. 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Sempra Energy beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Sempra Energy reported revenue of $2.67 billion. The one analyst polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $2.63 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were the same as the prior-year quarter's.

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 $1.08. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.98 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $1.08 for Q4 were 11% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.21 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.18 for Q4 were 2.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.21 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 27.7%, 610 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.5%, 460 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.44 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.99.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $10.28 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.40.

Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Sempra Energy is outperform, with an average price target of $71.73.

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