On Jan. 30, Sony (NYSE:SNE) released third-quarter earnings for the period ended Dec. 31.

  • Revenues increased 9.2% led by a strong performance by the Pictures segment with the releases of The Da Vinci Code, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Click.
  • While overall sales rose 5.6% in the game segment from the release of the PS3, the company recorded $455 million dollars in operating losses from "the loss arising from the sale of PS3 at strategic price points." This affected the bottom line, which declined by 6.1%.
  • Sony is only a one-star stock in CAPS, our new interactive stock database, with the Foolish community torn about whether this company will beat the S&P 500.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Sales

$21,913

$20,064

9.2%

Net Profit

$1,344

$1,432

(6.1%)

EPS

$1.28

$1.37

(6.6%)

Diluted Shares

1,048.7

1,045.6

0.3%



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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

30.2%

33.5%

(3.3)

Operating Margin

6.9%

8.6%

(1.7)

Net Margin

6.1%

7.1%

(1.0)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.*

$10,268

$9,684

6.0%

Trade Notes and Accounts Rec.

$15,220

$12,276

24.0%

Inventory

$8,119

$6,369

27.5%



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Accounts Payable**

$18,033

$14,871

21.3%

Long-Term Debt

$8,430

$5,513

52.9%

*Includes marketable securities. **Includes accrued expenses.

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$1,318.0

$1,053.0

25.2%

Capital Expenditures

$3,447.0

$2,765.0

24.7%

Free Cash Flow

($2,129.0)

($1,712.0)

N/A



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Related Companies:

  • Matsushita Electric Industrial (NYSE:MC)
  • Koninklijke Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG)
  • Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Related Foolishness:

Microsoft is an Inside Value recommendation. To see what other companies have been recommended, take a free 30-day trial today.

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