Cott Misses on Both Revenue and Earnings

Cott (NYSE: COT  ) reported earnings on Feb. 15. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 29 (Q4), Cott missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

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

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Cott booked revenue of $517.2 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted net sales of $543.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 5.8% lower than the prior-year quarter's $549.2 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 $0.03. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.06 per share. GAAP EPS were $0.02 for Q4 compared to -$0.13 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 11.7%, 230 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.3%, 130 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.4%, 260 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $534.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.09.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $2.33 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.69.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 162 members out of 268 rating the stock outperform, and 106 members rating it underperform. Among 76 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 52 give Cott a green thumbs-up, and 24 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Cott is outperform, with an average price target of $10.36.

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