On Jan. 25, Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) released Q1 2006 earnings for the period ending Dec. 25, 2005.

  • At first glance, it seems analysts had a crystal ball problem this quarter. But their outlook for per-share earnings excluded the effect of, among other things, stock-based compensation. Without that and other charges, Qualcomm booked $0.39 a stub.
  • On the whole, Qualcomm's growth was impressive, especially its 83% increase in free cash flow. (Find out why that's important.)
  • But investors still weren't enthused; the shares traded roughly flat. That could be because of the outlook. Qualcomm says its Q2 earnings could be as much as $0.03 lower than last year. Ouch.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

% Change

Sales

$1,750

$1,741

$1,390

+25.3

Net Profit

--

$620

$513

+20.9

EPS

$0.38

$0.36

$0.30

+20.0

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

Margin Checkup

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

% Change

Gross Margin

70.30%

69.06%

+1.24

Op. Margin

37.05%

42.01%

-4.97

Net Margin

35.61%

36.91%

-1.29

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

% Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$6,984

$6,124

+14.0

Inventory

$195

$156

+25.0

Accounts Rec.

$728

$659

+10.5



Liabilities

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

% Change

Long-Term Debt

--

--

N/A

Accounts Pay.

$431

$262

+64.5%



Cash Flow Highlights

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

% Change

Cash From Ops

$596

$397

+50.1

Capital Expend.

$213

$188

+13.3

Free Cash Flow

$383

$209

+83.3

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCM)
  • Motorola (NYSE:MOT)
  • Nokia (NYSE:NOK)
  • Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S)
  • Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN)
  • Verizon (NYSE:VZ)

Related Foolishness:

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.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers owns shares of Nokia. You can find out what else is in his portfolio by checking Tim's Fool profile . The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy .