On Feb. 14, La-Z-Boy (NYSE:LZB) released Q3 2006 earnings for the period ended Jan. 28.

  • Not much sales growth, and the company just missed analyst estimates.
  • Diluted EPS came in at $0.20 per share, down 5% from last year, but ahead of expectations of $0.15.
  • Gross margins increased 110 basis points to the highest level since 2000, but operating margins moved in the opposite direction.

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

% Change

Sales

$503,790

$502,323

$506,959

-0.9%

Net Profit

--

$10,468

$11,092

-5.6%

EPS

$0.15

$0.20

$0.21

-4.8%



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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Gross Margin

24.64%

23.54%

+1.10

Op. Margin

3.68%

3.89%

-0.21

Net Margin

2.08%

2.19%

-0.10



Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

% Change

Cash+ ST Invest.

$20,508

$25,994

-21.1%

Inventory

$246,547

$272,922

-9.7%

Accounts Rec.

$274,001

$278,269

-1.5%



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

% Change

Long-Term Debt

$193,978

$229,158

-15.4%

Accounts Pay.

$77,479

$72,618

+6.7%



Cash Flow Highlights

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

% Change

Cash From Ops

$33,082

$37,980

-12.9%

Capital Expend.

$6,196

$9,833

-37.0%

Free Cash Flow

$26,886

$28,147

-4.5%



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Ethan Allen (NYSE:ETH)
  • Herman Miller (NASDAQ:MLHR)
  • Hooker Furniture (NASDAQ:HOFT)
  • Kimball International (NASDAQ:KBALB)
  • Stanley Furniture (NASDAQ:STLY)

Related Foolishness:

La-Z-Boy is an official Motley Fool Income Investor selection. Stanley Furniture and Hooker Furniture are Motley Fool Hidden Gems picks.

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, Fool analyst Andy Cross did not own share in any company mentioned. Fool rules are here.