Clean Energy Fuels Corp (CLNE): What Happened?

Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE) whiffed on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased significantly. Non-GAAP earnings per share grew. GAAP loss per share shrank.

Margins expanded across the board.

Revenue details
Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE) notched revenue of $93.0 million. The six analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $104.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 26% higher than the prior-year quarter’s $73.6 million.

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

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.03. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated -$0.05 per share. Non-GAAP EPS were $0.03 for Q1 compared to -$0.16 per share for the prior-year quarter. GAAP EPS were -$0.04 for Q1 against -$0.37 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 45.5%, much better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -0.8%, much better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -4.2%, much better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter’s average estimate for revenue is $90.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.19.

Next year’s average estimate for revenue is $404.0 million. The average EPS estimate is -$0.54.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,766 members out of 1,816 rating the stock outperform, and 50 members rating it underperform. Among 294 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 287 give Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE) a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Clean Energy Fuels is outperform, with an average price target of $15.55.

The article Clean Energy Fuels Posts a Surprise Profit originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool recommends Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE).

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