PPG Industries Beats on EPS but GAAP Results Lag

PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG  ) reported earnings on April 19. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.

Gross margin expanded, operating margin expanded, and net margin contracted.

Revenue details
PPG Industries booked revenue of $3.75 billion. The nine analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $3.78 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.53 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.81. The 11 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $1.78 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.08 for Q1 were 94% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.40 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 40.6%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.8%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.3%, 620 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $4.19 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.33.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $15.67 billion. The average EPS estimate is $7.82.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 338 members out of 363 rating the stock outperform, and 25 members rating it underperform. Among 102 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 100 give PPG Industries a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on PPG Industries is outperform, with an average price target of $96.86.

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