On April 18, teen fashion retailer Claire's (NYSE:CLE) released its fourth-quarter earnings for the period ended Feb. 3.
- Net sales for the quarter were up 14%, with same-store sales increasing 1% along the way.
- Lower gross margin and higher SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales put a cramp in the company's style.
- Earlier this year, Claire's agreed to be bought out by private equity firm Apollo Managment. Could competitors like Tween Brands (NYSE:TWB) and dELiA*s (NASDAQ:DLIA) be next? Check out what the Motley Fool CAPS community has to say.
(Figures in millions, except per-share data)
Income Statement Highlights
|
Q4 2007 |
Q4 2006 |
Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sales |
$472.3 |
$414.7 |
13.9% |
|
Net Profit |
$86.5 |
$69.1 |
25.2% |
|
EPS |
$0.93 |
$0.69 |
34.8% |
|
Diluted Shares |
93.2 |
99.7 |
(6.5%) |
Get back to basics with the income statement.
Margin Checkup
|
Q4 2007 |
Q4 2006 |
Change* | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gross Margin |
55.3% |
55.7% |
(0.4) |
|
Operating Margin |
23.8% |
25.0% |
(1.2) |
|
Net Margin |
18.3% |
16.7% |
1.7 |
Margins are the earnings engine.
Balance Sheet Highlights
|
Assets |
Q4 2007 |
Q4 2006 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cash + ST Invest. |
$340.9 |
$431.1 |
(20.9%) |
|
Inventory |
$121.1 |
$113.4 |
6.8% |
|
Liabilities |
Q4 2007 |
Q4 2006 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Accounts Payable |
$56.3 |
$50.2 |
12.1% |
The balance sheet reflects the company's health.
Cash Flow Highlights
|
YTD 2007 |
YTD 2006 |
Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cash From Ops. |
$232.3 |
$242.4 |
(4.2%) |
|
Capital Expenditures |
$95.2 |
$73.4 |
29.6% |
|
Free Cash Flow |
$137.1 |
$169.0 |
(18.9%) |
Free cash flow is a Fool's best friend.
For more on teen retailers, check out:
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, retail editor David Meier did not own stock in any of the companies mentioned. Fool rules are here.
