On Feb. 2, Comcast (NYSE:CMCSA) released Q4 2005 earnings for the period ended Dec. 31, 2005.

  • Operationally, Comcast delivered the goods: Revenue and EBITDA grew 9%, while operating income grew 26%.
  • Net income was a different story: Investment income fell 78%, which hurt the bottom line.
  • The company repurchased $901 million worth of common stock in Q4, or 40% of its total repurchases during 2005.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Sales

$5,710

$5,716

$5,235

+9.2%

Net Profit

--

$133

$423

-68.6%

EPS

$0.15

$0.06

$0.19

-68.4%



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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

Change

OCF Margin*

37.70%

37.94%

-0.24%

Op. Margin

15.62%

13.58%

+2.04%

Net Margin

2.33%

8.08%

-5.75%

*Operating cash flow margin

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work..

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Cash+ ST Invest.

$841

$2,007

-58.1%

Accounts Rec.

$1,060

$959

+10.5%



Liabilities

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Long-Term Debt

$21,682

$20,093

+7.9%

Accounts Pay.

$2,033

$2,041

-0.4%



Cash Flow Highlights

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Cash From Ops

$982

$1,495

-34.3%

Capital Expend.

$868

$1,050

-17.3%

Free Cash Flow

$114

$445

-74.4%



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Related Companies:

  • CBS (NYSE:CBS)
  • DirectTV (NYSE:DTV)
  • EchoStar Communications (NASDAQ:DISH)
  • Time Warner (NYSE:TWX)
  • Viacom (NYSE:VIA)
  • Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Related Foolishness:

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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.

At the time of publication, Fool analyst Andy Cross owned shares of Comcast. Fool rules are here.