On Feb. 2, Sara Lee (NYSE:SLE) released Q2 2006 earnings for the period ended Dec. 31, 2005.
- Sara Lee continues to transform itself into a slimmer and more focused food, beverage, and household-care company. But it lowered Q3 and 2006 earnings guidance.
 - Diluted Q2 earnings per share hit $0.57, including a $0.28 per-share gain from selling its direct-selling food business.
 - Adjusted EPS of $0.31, slightly ahead of analyst expectations of $0.29.
 
(Figures in millions, except per-share data)
Income Statement Highlights| 
 Avg. Est.  | 
 Q2 2006  | 
 Q2 2005  | 
 Change  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Sales  | 
 $4,630  | 
 $4,448  | 
 $4,512  | 
 -1.4%  | 
| 
 Net Profit  | 
 --  | 
 $438  | 
 $326  | 
 +34.4%  | 
| 
 EPS*  | 
 $0.29  | 
 $0.31  | 
 $0.37  | 
 -24.4%  | 
Get back to basics with a look at the income statement.
Margin Checkup| 
 Q2 2006  | 
 Q2 2005  | 
 Change  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Gross Margin  | 
 36.76%  | 
 36.79%  | 
 -0.03%  | 
| 
 Op. Margin  | 
 7.96%  | 
 8.64%  | 
 -0.68%  | 
| 
 Net Margin  | 
 9.85%  | 
 7.23%  | 
 +2.62%  | 
Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.
Balance Sheet Highlights
| 
 Assets  | 
 Q2 2006  | 
 Q2 2005  | 
 Change  | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Cash + ST Invest.  | 
 $1,955  | 
 $883  | 
 +121.4%  | 
| 
 Inventory  | 
 $2,184  | 
 $2,791  | 
 -21.7%  | 
| 
 Accounts Rec.  | 
 $1,746  | 
 $2,095  | 
 -16.7%  | 
| 
 Liabilities  | 
 Q2 2006  | 
 Q2 2005  | 
 Change  | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 
 Long-Term Debt  | 
 $3,736  | 
 $4,487  | 
 -16.7%  | 
| 
 Accounts Pay.  | 
 $1,244  | 
 $1,432  | 
 -13.1%  | 
Cash Flow Highlights
Data not reported for the recent quarter.
Related Companies:
- Altria Group (NYSE:MO)
 - Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB)
 - Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL)
 - Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT)
 - Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)
 - Unilever (NYSE:UL)
 
Related Foolishness:
- Foolish Fundamentals: Inventory
 - Foolish Fundamentals: Valuation
 - Foolish Fundamentals: Enterprise Value
 
Sara Lee, Kraft, and Unilever are Motley Fool Income Investor selections.
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, Andy Cross owned shares in Altria. Fool rules are here.