On Jan. 25, Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick eBay (NYSE:EBAY) released fourth-quarter earnings for the period ended Dec. 31, 2006.

  • Read all about eBay's comeback in this analysis.
  • The company repurchased approximately 31 million shares of its common stock during the quarter, at a total cost of approximately $1 billion.
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(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Sales

$1,719.9

$1,328.9

29.4%

Net Profit

$346.5

$279.2

24.1%

EPS

$0.25

$0.20

25.0%

Diluted Shares

1,402.7

1,426.5

(1.7%)

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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

79.3%

82.0%

(2.7)

Operating Margin

26.2%

27.9%

(1.7)

Net Margin

20.1%

21.0%

(0.9)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$3,204.9

$2,088.2

53.5%

Accounts Rec.

$393.2

$322.8

21.8%


Liabilities

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$83.4

$55.7

49.7%

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$626.0

$526.2

19.0%

Capital Expenditures

$96.6

$97.7

(1.2%)

Free Cash Flow

$529.4

$428.5

23.5%

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Amazon (NYSE:AMZN)
  • VeriSign (NYSE:VRSN)
  • CheckFree (NYSE:CKFR)
  • Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO)

Related Foolishness:

Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo! are all Motley Fool Stock Advisor selections. To see what other great companies have helped the newsletter crush the market, take a free 30-day trial today.

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