For the quarter ended September 2024, Coherent (COHR) reported revenue of $1.35 billion, up 28% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.74, compared to $0.16 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32 billion, representing a surprise of +2.43%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +17.46%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.63.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Coherent performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenues- Materials: $237.43 million compared to the $269.74 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of -2.9% year over year.

• Revenues- Networking: $762.87 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $702.95 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +61.3%.

• Revenues- Lasers: $347.84 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $349.83 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3.7%.

• Revenue from Contracts- Instrumentation: $90.68 million versus $110.79 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -8.8% change.

• Revenue from Contracts- Communications: $774.29 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $683.78 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +68.5%.

• Revenue from Contracts- Industrial: $406.94 million compared to the $437.27 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +0.6% year over year.

• Revenue from Contracts- Electronics: $76.23 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $95.40 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -15.1%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Coherent here>>>

Shares of Coherent have returned -4.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.7% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.