On Feb. 13, La-Z-Boy (NYSE:LZB) released third-quarter earnings for the period ended Jan. 27.

  • Sales decreased by 9.6%. Upholstery sales fell 11.8%, casegoods sales declined 14.6%, and retail sales increased 6.4%.
  • Gross profit margin increased by 2.2%, thanks to better merchandising and selling plans, and cost reduction.
  • For Q4 2007, management expects sales to decline 8%-10% compared to last year's quarter. EPS should be in the range of $0.03-$0.07.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Sales

$403.9

$446.6

(9.6%)

Net Profit*

$6.9

$10.0

(30.4%)

EPS

$0.13

$0.19

(31.6%)

Diluted Shares

51.6

51.9

(0.5%)

*Continuing operations

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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

27.9%

25.7%

2.2

Operating Margin

2.3%

4.0%

(1.7)

Net Margin**

1.7%

2.2%

(0.5)

*Expressed in percentage points
**Continuing operations

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$17.5

$20.5

(14.7%)

Accounts Rec.

$217.1

$274.0

(20.8%)

Inventory

$214.2

$246.5

(13.1%)



Liabilities

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$60.2

$77.5

(22.3%)

Long-Term Debt

$147.1

$194.0

(24.2%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

Q3 2007

Q3 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$28.9

$33.1

(12.5%)

Capital Expenditures

$6.0

$6.2

(3.4%)

Free Cash Flow

$22.9

$26.9

(14.6%)



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Stanley Furniture (NASDAQ:STLY)
  • Hooker Furniture (NASDAQ:HOFT)
  • Furniture Brands International (NYSE:FBN)
  • Select Comfort Corporation (NASDAQ:SCSS)
  • Bassett Furniture Industries (NASDAQ:BSET)

Related Foolishness:

La-Z-Boy is a Motley Fool Income Investor recommendation. For more on great stocks that pay sweet dividends and outperform the market, click here for you free 30-day trial.

Stanley Furniture, Select Comfort, and Hooker Furniture are Hidden Gems recommendations.

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. This data has been provided by Netscribes. To provide feedback on this article, please click on the "feedback" button below.