Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (ETE): The Details You Might’ve Missed

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) beat expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins contracted across the board.

Revenue details
Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) reported revenue of $10.85 billion. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated net sales of $9.95 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were much higher than the prior-year quarter’s $1.69 billion.

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 $0.60. The six earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.45 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.60 for Q1 were 68% lower than the prior-year quarter’s $1.88 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.32 for Q1 were 56% lower than the prior-year quarter’s $0.73 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 9.2%, much worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.7%, 790 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.8%, 900 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter’s average estimate for revenue is $10.40 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.46.

Next year’s average estimate for revenue is $42.26 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.07.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 219 members out of 233 rating the stock outperform, and 14 members rating it underperform. Among 82 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 79 give Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Energy Transfer Equity is outperform, with an average price target of $61.33.

The article Energy Transfer Equity Beats on the Top Line originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Seth Jayson.

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 has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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