Ctrip.com International Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Ctrip.com International (Nasdaq: CTRP  ) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Ctrip.com International beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Ctrip.com International booked revenue of $176.8 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ hoped for a top line of $173.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 20% higher than the prior-year quarter's $146.9 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 $0.35. The nine earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.25 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.22 for Q4 were 19% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.27 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 74.1%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.9%, 1,400 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 17.5%, 980 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $170.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.27.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $793.5 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.19.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 4,051 members out of 4,221 rating the stock outperform, and 170 members rating it underperform. Among 1,057 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 1,016 give Ctrip.com International a green thumbs-up, and 41 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Ctrip.com International is hold, with an average price target of $20.46.

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