Best Buy Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY  ) reported earnings on March 27. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Feb. 2 (Q4), Best Buy beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue was unchanged. Non-GAAP earnings per share contracted significantly. GAAP loss per share dropped.

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

Revenue details
Best Buy reported revenue of $16.71 billion. The 22 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected a top line of $16.34 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 $1.64. The 26 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $1.59 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $1.64 for Q4 were 34% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.47 per share. (The prior-year quarter included -$0.31 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.) GAAP EPS were -$1.21 for Q4 versus -$5.17 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 22.6%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.6%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -2.4%, 850 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $10.68 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.25.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $48.35 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.17.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,657 members out of 3,458 rating the stock outperform, and 801 members rating it underperform. Among 883 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 683 give Best Buy a green thumbs-up, and 200 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Best Buy is hold, with an average price target of $13.63.

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