On Mar. 1, Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD) released fourth-quarter earnings for the period ended Feb. 3.

  • Revenue increased 1.3%, and there was a 3.1% decline in same-store sales as a result of competition from companies like Target (NYSE:TGT), which offset an extra week of sales during the quarter.
  • The company repurchased 100,000 shares of common stock for $14 million -- at an average price of $165 per share -- during the quarter. It also bought back 6,000,000 million shares for $806 million, or at a rate of $133 per share in the full year.
  • CAPS players give Sears, a turnaround in progress, a four-star rating and J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), a successful turnaround, a three-star rating.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Sales

$16,288.0

$16,086.0

1.3%

Net Profit

$820.0

$648.0

26.5%

EPS

$5.33

$4.03

32.3%

Diluted Shares

153.9

160.7

(4.2%)



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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

29.8%

28.5%

1.3

Operating Margin

8.6%

9.5%

(0.9)

Net Margin

5.0%

4.0%

1.0

*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.

$3,968.0

$4,440.0

(10.6%)

Accounts Rec.

$848.0

$811.0

4.6%

Inventory

$9,907.0

$9,068.0

9.3%



Liabilities

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$3,312.0

$3,458.0

(4.2%)

Long-Term Debt

$2,850.0

$3,268.0

(12.8%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

No data available.

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