On Feb. 1, 2007, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) released third-quarter earnings for the period ended Dec. 31, 2006.

  • Net revenue has increased by only 0.9%. Sales were driven by Need for Speed: Carbon, FIFA 07, The Sims 2: Pets, and Madden NFL 07 -- each of which sold more than 3 million copies.
  • The industry is still transitioning to the latest consoles, Sony's (NYSE:SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox 360. Operating and net margins are down, as the company continues to invest in developing new games.
  • Electronic Arts is a three-star stock in our community-intelligence database, CAPS. Of 887 players, 803 think it will outperform the S&P 500. If you've got an opinion, bring it to CAPS!

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Sales

$1,281

$1,270

0.9%

Net Profit

$160

$259

(38.2%)

EPS

$0.50

$0.83

(39.8%)

Diluted Shares

319

311

2.6%



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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

63.3%

60.5%

2.8

Operating Margin

16.8%

27.3%

(10.5)

Net Margin

12.5%

20.4%

(7.9)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$2,646

$2,723

(2.8%)

Accounts Rec.

$551

$567

(2.8%)

Inventory

$72

$76

(5.3%)


Liabilities

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$170

$187

(9.1%)

Long-Term Debt

$0

$0

N/A



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$227

$278

(18.3%)

Capital Expenditures

$32

$31

3.2%

Free Cash Flow

$195

$247

(21.1%)



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Konami (NYSE:KNM)
  • THQ (NASDAQ:THQI)
  • Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO)

Related Foolishness:

Electronic Arts is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick. To find out why, you can take a 30-day free trial of the newsletter. Microsoft is an Inside Value recommendation.

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