Astec Industries Earnings Are on Deck

Astec Industries (Nasdaq: ASTE  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 22. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Astec Industries's revenues will contract -5.5% and EPS will wither -4.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $248.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.39.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Astec Industries logged revenue of $227.0 million. GAAP reported sales were 5.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $214.6 million.

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

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.30. GAAP EPS of $0.30 for Q3 were 12% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.34 per share.

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

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 21.8%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.2%, about the same as the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.0%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $996.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.67.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 271 members out of 282 rating the stock outperform, and 11 members rating it underperform. Among 114 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 112 give Astec 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 Astec Industries is hold, with an average price target of $36.25.

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