On Oct. 17, Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) released Q3 earnings for the period ended Sept. 30.

  • Revenues and EPS beat analyst estimates by 3.3% and 5.6%, respectively.
  • Increased international and North American sales led to a 10.4% increase in revenues.
  • EPS increased to $0.47, helped by no impairment charges and a decline in administrative expenses.
  • Increased net income and favorable changes in working capital led to a increase in free cash flow to $575 million.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Sales

$3,734

$3,857

$3,493

10.4%

Net Profit

--

$133

($48)

N/A

EPS

$0.44

$0.47

($0.15)

N/A

Diluted Shares

--

285

312

(8.7%)



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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

30.77%

29.96%

0.81

Operating Margin

4.96%

(2.77%)

7.73

Net Margin

3.45%

(1.37%)

4.82

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$329

$833

(60.5%)

Accounts Rec.

$1,442

$1,279

12.7%

Inventory

$1,414

$1,244

13.7%



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$1,535

$1,255

22.3%

Long-Term Debt*

$591.5

$552.6

7.0%



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$792

$414

91.2%

Capital Expenditures

$218

$201

8.1%

Free Cash Flow

$575

$213

169.7%



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related companies:

  • Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS)
  • OfficeMax (NYSE:OMX)
  • Banta (NYSE:BN)
  • ACCO Brands (NYSE:ABD)

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.

Retail editor and Inside Value team memberDavid Meier reviewed this article. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned.