On Jan. 23, E.I. DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD) -- just call 'em DuPont -- released fourth-quarter earnings for the period ended Dec. 31.

  • Revenues for the conglomerate rose 7.7%. A decline in U.S. volume was attributed to a slump in the residential construction and automotive markets.

  • Flat fixed costs and improved operating results in the coatings and color technologies and performance materials platforms helped drive net margins higher.

  • The company affirmed EPS guidance for 2007 of roughly $3.15.

  • Our Motley Fool CAPS community is firmly in the middle of the road on DuPont's future, with 213 total players collectively assigning the stock a three-star rating.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Sales

$6,276

$5,827

7.7%

Net Profit

$871

$154

465.6%

EPS

$0.94

$0.16

487.5%

Diluted Shares

928.0

948.3

(2.1%)



Get back to basics with a look at the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

18.5%

19.3%

(0.8)

Operating Margin

8.0%

5.4%

2.6

Net Margin

13.9%

2.6%

11.2

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights
Though the earnings release was a mind-numbing 4,597 words in length, the word "cash" was not in it -- nor was any other balance sheet information.

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights
Likewise, no cash flow statement. Grrr.

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

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Related Foolishness:

Fool by Numbers is designed to give you the raw earnings information in a timely fashion, putting all the numbers you need in one easy-to-read place. But at The Motley Fool, we believe numbers tell only part of the story, so check Fool.com for more of our in-depth discussion of what the numbers mean.

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