On Wednesday, luxury department store retailer Saks (NYSE:SKS) released fourth-quarter and year-end results for the period ended Feb. 3. Here are the quick and dirty details for the quarter.

  • Total sales grew 17% as same-store sales improved a fashionable 9.9%. Also, the company just reported February comps of 24.7%, partially explaining the nice boost in the share price today.
  • Diluted earnings were positive for the quarter but included a number of charges, including those related to the sale of the Saks Department Store Group to Bon-Ton (NASDAQ:BONT) and Belk. This year's quarter also included an extra week, adding an estimated $0.06 in earnings.
  • Going forward, management is projecting "comparable store sales growth of low double digits in the spring and mid-to-high single digits in the fall."
  • Saks only carries a two-star rating in the Motley Fool CAPS intelligence database -- the same as Federated (NYSE:FD) -- while archrival Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) has a three-star rating, as does J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP). Feel free to head to CAPS and tell us what you think about these companies and more.

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Sales

$955,000

$817,773

16.8%

Net Profit

$21,521

($2,242)

N/A

EPS

$0.14

($0.02)

N/A

Diluted Shares

151,422

136,406

11.0%



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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

37.9%

33.6%

4.3

Operating Margin

1.9%

(4.5%)

6.4

Net Margin

2.3%

(0.3%)

2.6

*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.

$277,883

$77,312

259.4%

Inventory

$785,302

$807,211

(2.7%)



Liabilities

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$231,038

$190,064

21.6%

Long-Term Debt

$450,010

$688,080

(34.6%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights
Fools will have to wait until Saks files its 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission for juicy cash flow details. Find out why Fools always follow the money.

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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.

Fool contributor Ryan Fuhrmann has no financial interest in any company mentioned. Feel free to email him with feedback or to discuss any companies mentioned further. The Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.