On Aug. 6, Spectra Energy (NYSE:SE) released earnings for the second quarter ended June 30.

  • Net profit dropped 28%, primarily because of a drop in EBIT of $41 million from the Western Canada transmission and processing business. However, Spectra still paid a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.
  • The company's continued rise in capital spending reflects significant progress made in the $3 billion expansion program set for 2007 through 2009.
  • The industry is robust, with El Paso (NYSE:EP) earning a four-star rating in Motley Fool CAPS, while Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) has a five-star rating.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data.)

Income Statement Highlights

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Sales

$985

$981

0.4%

Net Profit**

$185

$257

(28.0%)

*Spectra Energy was a spinoff from Duke Energy's natural gas business in Q4 2006; therefore, the EPS and diluted share count for the 2006 quarter do not apply.
**Income from continuing operations

Get back to basics with the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change*

Operating Margin

30.7%

32.7%

(2.1)

Net Margin

18.8%

26.2%

(7.4)

*Expressed in percentage points

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Liabilities

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Long-Term Debt

$7,734

$7,726

0.1%

The data on assets wasn't available.

The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2007

YTD 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$689

$194

255.2%

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