On April 25, building material manufacturer USG (NYSE:USG) released first-quarter earnings for the period ended March 31.

  • As the housing market continues to crumble, revenues slid. Earnings swung to a profit after suffering a loss last year because of fees related to its bankruptcy.
  • Growing expenses (due to higher levels of compensation and benefits) coupled with greater costs at new corporate office locations contributed to declining margins.
  • The company has responded to the construction slowdown by balancing wallboard production volumes and pricing, along with adjusting manufacturing capacity.
  • Investors in the Motley Fool CAPS community are high on USG, giving it a four-star rating, but it still scores a notch below competitor Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) and its five-star goodness.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Sales

$1,259.0

$1,465.0

(14.1%)

Net Profit

$41.0

($141.0)

N/A

EPS

$0.45

($2.44)

N/A

Diluted Shares

91.7

57.8

58.7%

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

Margin Checkup

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

16.8%

24.4%

(7.5)

Operating Margin

7.6%

17.5%

(9.9)

Net Margin

3.3%

(9.6%)

12.9

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$411

$1,363

(69.8%)

Accounts Rec.

$604

$639

(5.5%)

Inventory

$380

$341

11.4%

Liabilities

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$364

$321

13.4%

Long-Term Debt

$1,239

$1,005

23.3%

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights
Unfortunately, USG did not provide a cash flow statement in its earnings release. (Booooo!)

Related Foolishness:

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