On Dec. 7, men's clothing retailer Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ:JOSB) released its third-quarter earnings for the period ending Oct. 28.

  • Sales were up 13% for the third quarter and EPS climbed 15.4%, as the net margin expanded because of lower interest expenses and a lower tax rate.
  • Inventories grew more slowly than sales, and accounts receivable grew in line with sales, both signs of good working capital management.
  • Eighty of 85 investors think Jos. A. Bank will outperform the S&P 500 in our new ratings service, CAPS. If you have an opinion, bring it to CAPS!

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Sales

$119.5

$105.6

13.1%

Net Profit

$5.5

$4.7

17.0%

EPS

$0.30

$0.26

15.4%

Diluted Shares

18.3

18.1

1.2%



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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

60.6%

60.1%

0.5

Operating Margin

7.6%

8.1%

(0.4)

Net Margin

4.6%

4.4%

0.2

*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.

$1.6

$1.5

6.7%

Accounts Rec.

$9.1

$8.0

13.8%

Inventory

$202.6

$190.6

6.3%



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$34.3

$37.6

(9.0%)

Long-Term Debt*

$61.5

$83.5

(26.3%)

*Includes current portion and non-current lease obligations.

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

($27.0)

($13.3)

N/A

Capital Expenditures

$18.1

$20.3

(10.8%)

Free Cash Flow

($45.1)

($33.6)

N/A



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Related Companies:

  • Men's Warehouse (NYSE:MW)
  • Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN)
  • Federated Department Stores (NYSE:FD)

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.

At the time of publication, David Meier did not own shares in any of the companies mentioned. Fool rules for disclosure are here.