Comparing the Gross and Operating Margins of GoPro (GPRO)

Shares of Small-cap Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery company GoPro were up 16.2% during today's morning session, as the S&P 500 posted a -0.0% change. Today's upwards movement shows that investor interest in GPRO stock is strong -- but how closely have they studied the company's margins?

While GoPro's gross margins for the last year are positive, we are concerned that the company's operating margins are in the red. Gross margins take into account only the cost of revenue, or variable costs -- meaning the cost directly associated with producing the products or providing the service offered by the company.

Operating margins, on the other hand, take into account the company's overhead as well. Overhead, also called fixed costs, includes the company's rent, salaries for personnel not included in cost of revenue, equipment and supplies, amortization, and depreciation. Operating margins tell you about how efficiently GoPro is run, and gross margins tell you how profitable its product line is.

GoPro's gross margins have a coefficient of variability of 36.2%, with a low percentage rate being more desirable as it indicates stability. Revenues have a delta of -1.6% while cost of revenue is shrinking at a rate of -2.1%, which allows for the company's gross margins to grow at an average 1.3% per year.

The table above tells us that, on average, GoPro has not been profitable over the last four years, which should be a warning sign to prospective investors. One bright spot, however, is that the company's operating margins are growing at an average yearly rate of 14.3%.