Avis Budget Group Goes Red

Avis Budget Group (Nasdaq: CAR  ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Avis Budget Group beat expectations on revenue and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew significantly and GAAP earnings per share contracted to a loss.

Gross margin expanded, operating margin shrank, and net margin dropped.

Revenue details
Avis Budget Group logged revenue of $1.62 billion. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see a top line of $1.59 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 31% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.24 billion.

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 $0.12. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.12 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.22 for Q1 compared to $0.06 per share for 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 25.4%, 110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.9%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -1.4%, 200 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.91 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.68.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $7.45 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.53.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 243 members out of 371 rating the stock outperform, and 128 members rating it underperform. Among 92 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 54 give Avis Budget Group a green thumbs-up, and 38 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Avis Budget Group is buy, with an average price target of $20.19.

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