On March 19, PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) released earnings for the year ended Dec. 31.

  • The rising energy company's net profits rose 6.6% on the back of a 24.8% rise in total revenues.
  • A 36.4% increase in operating expenses put in a dent in the firm's still-mouthwatering margins.
  • The firm anticipates another year of aggressive capital spending, forecasting a 24.8% rise to $24 billion in 2007, or roughly $9 billion more than ExxonMobil's (NYSE:XOM) capital expenditures in 2006.
  • PetroChina is rated a four-star stock by the Motley Fool CAPS community, along with competitor Chevron (NYSE:CVX), while fellow Chinese rival CNOOC (NYSE:CEO) has a higher five-star rating. To see what all the fuss is about, join CAPS for free today.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data. Figures based on a 1-to-7.332 U.S. dollar-to-Chinese yuan exchange ratio.)

Income Statement Highlights

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Sales

$89,093.5

$71,410.2

24.8%

Net Profit

$18,391.4

$17,245.4

6.6%

EPS

$0.10

$0.08

5.3%

Earnings per ADR

$10.22

$9.70

5.3%

Diluted Shares

179,021

176,770

1.3%



Get back to basics with the income statement. Oh, and learn about the ADR.

Margin Checkup

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change*

Operating Margin

28.7%

34.8%

(6.1%)

Net Margin

20.6%

24.2%

(3.5%)

*Expressed in percentage points

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$6,668.8

$10,680.7

(37.6%)



Liabilities

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Long-Term Debt

$4,607.9

$5,763.5

(20.0%)



The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$25,617.1

$26,364.9

(2.8%)

Capital Expenditures

$19,234.7

$16,138.3

19.2%

Free Cash Flow

$6,382.4

$10,226.6

(37.6%)



Free cash flow is a Fool's best friend.

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.

Foolish editor Joe Magyer does not own any shares in the above-mentioned companies, though his Granny does own shares in ExxonMobil. Joe's dog, Warner, likes to chase squirrels, but has yet to catch one. The Fool has a disclosure policy.