On March 1, image sensor supplier OmniVision Technologies (NASDAQ:OVTI) released Q3 2007 earnings for the period ended Jan. 31.

  • Net profit dropped by 86% from a year ago, but it isn't quite a fair comparison, since the year-ago results don't include the effects of stock compensation. Non-GAAP net income for this quarter, excluding stock compensation expense, was $11.1 million. Still, that's well below the $29.6 million recorded in Q3 2006.
  • Because of pressure from much larger competitors like Micron (NYSE:MU), gross margins plummeted from over 40% a year ago to below 25%.
  • One positive remains the cash on the balance sheet. Cash and short-term investments have risen to $341 million, which represents nearly half the market capitalization.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Sales

$134

$137

(2.1%)

Net Profit

$4.1

$29.6

(86.1%)

EPS

$0.07

$0.53

(86.8%)

Diluted Shares

55.9

55.5

0.7%



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

Margin Checkup

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change*

Gross margin

24.9%

40.3%

(15.4)

Operating margin

0.3%

25.9%

(25.7)

Net margin

3.1%

21.6%

(18.5)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest

$341

$317

7.5%

Accounts Rec.

$73.2

$76.5

(4.3%)

Inventory

$106

$62.5

69.6%



Liabilities

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$51.8

$53.7

(3.5%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

Management must have been too distracted trying to fix a struggling business to provide a cash flow statement in the earnings release.

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

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.

At the time of publication, Dan Bloom had no financial interest in any company mentioned in this column. Fool rules are here.