Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) released earnings for the second quarter on July 14.

  • EPS was in line with revised analyst estimates after accounting for investment and other non-operating income gains, while revenue of $1.46 billion lagged the Street consensus.
  • Operating profit in the publishing division was negatively affected by two pre-tax charges totaling $52 million, or $0.09 per share, during Q2 2004. Of that, $17 million was attributed to the elimination of 375 positions and $35 million was set aside for advertisers for misstating circulation numbers for Newsday and Hoy.
  • Gains in equity and derivative investments accounted for $0.12 of EPS in Q2 2005, compared with $0.04 during the same period last year.
  • Early retirement of debt negatively affected EPS by $0.26 during Q2 2004.
  • Cash flow highlights were estimated from statements made in this and last year's press releases. No cash flow statement was provided. (Boo!)

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights (What's this?)

Avg. Est. Q2 2005 Q2 2004 % Change
Sales $1,470,000 $1,462,068 $1,495,931 -2.3%
Net Profit -- $233,392 $96,386 +142.1%
EPS $0.58 $0.73 $0.29 +151.7%


Margin Checkup (What's this?)

Q2 2005 Q2 2004 % Change
Op. Margin 23.14% 21.31% +1.83%
Net Margin 15.96% 6.44% +9.52%


Balance Sheet Highlights (What's this?)

No balance sheet data provided. (Hiss!)

Cash Flow Highlights (What's this?)

Q2 2005 Q2 2004 % Change
Cash From Ops. $396,401 $378,570 +4.7%
Capital Expend. $35,000 $47,000 -25.5%
Free Cash Flow $361,401 $331,570 +9.0%
*Cash flow provided on a quarterly basis.

Related Companies:

  • Dow Jones (NYSE:DJ)
  • E.W. Scripps (NYSE:SSP)
  • Gannett (NYSE:GCI)
  • Knight Ridder (NYSE:KRI)
  • New York Times (NYSE:NYT)
  • Washington Post (NYSE:WPO)

Related Foolishness:

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Fool contributor Tim Beyers didn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story at the time of publication. You can find out what's in his portfolio by checking Tim's Fool profile, which is here. The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.