For the quarter ended July 2024, Patterson Cos. (PDCO Quick QuotePDCO - Free Report) reported revenue of $1.54 billion, down 2.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.24, compared to $0.40 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.6 billion, representing a surprise of -3.59%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -25.00%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.32.

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.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

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

• Net Sales- Dental supply

  : $550.36 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $569.61 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -3%.

• Net sales- Animal Health

  : $982.41 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $1.03 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -2.8%.

• Net Sales- Corporate

  : $8.97 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $1.93 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -680.7%.

• Consolidated Net Sales- Consumable- Total

  : $1.28 billion versus $1.35 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -2.8% change.

• Consolidated Net Sales- Value-added services and Other- Total

  : $104.04 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $101.21 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.2%.

• Net Sales- Dental supply- Consumable

  : $344.12 million versus $361.96 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -2.3% change.

• Net Sales- Dental supply- Equipment and software

  : $133.86 million compared to the $133.48 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -2.7% year over year.

• Net Sales- Dental supply- Value-added services and other

  : $72.38 million compared to the $77.38 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -6.9% year over year.

• Net Sales- Animal Health- Value-added services and Other

  : $22.69 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $22.25 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +8.6%.

• Net Sales- Animal Health- Equipment

  : $25.43 million compared to the $26.60 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -3.8% year over year.

• Net Sales- Animal Health- Consumable

  : $934.30 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $987.52 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -3.1%.

• Consolidated Net Sales- Equipment- Total

  : $159.29 million versus $160.08 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -2.9% change.

View all Key Company Metrics for Patterson Cos. here>>>

Shares of Patterson Cos. have returned -3.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.