On May 8, upscale denim designer True Religion Apparel (NASDAQ:TRLG) released first-quarter earnings for the period ended March 31.

  • Lukewarm sales growth and lower earnings usually don't add up to a 12% stock price spike. So what's going on here?
  • True Religion is becoming a very different company than it was a year ago, and it's starting to show in the numbers. Last year, all of that stylish denim was sold through partners like Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN), but the fledgling True Religion retail chain contributed $4.1 million to sales this time. That's up from virtually nothing last year, or even last quarter.
  • That transformation is making its mark on the cash conversion metrics in a big way, and explains the massive increase in capital expenditures as the company rolls out new storefronts.

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Sales

$36,149

$35,609

1.5%

Net Profit

$4,183

$6,471

(35.4%)

EPS

$0.18

$0.28

(35.7%)

Diluted Shares

23,584

23,432

0.6%

Get back to basics with the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

56.3%

52.7%

3.6

Operating Margin

18.5%

29.7%

(11.2)

Net Margin

11.6%

18.2%

(6.6)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$48,574

$21,224

128.9%

Accounts Rec.

$5,770

$18,804

(69.3%)

Inventory

$8,757

$11,290

(22.4%)

Liabilities

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$10,113

$4,570

121.3%

Long-Term Debt

$0

$0

N/A

The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$7,454

$5,920

25.9%

Capital Expenditures

$3,828

$193

1,880.6%

Free Cash Flow

$3,627

$5,727

(36.7%)

Owner Earnings

$2,162

$6,356

(66.0%)

Free cash flow is a Fool's best friend.

Cash Conversion Checkup

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Days in Inventory

51.7

57.1

(5.3)

Days in Receivables

26.9

42.1

(15.2)

Days Payables Outstanding

54.4

26.7

27.7

Cash Conversion Cycle

24.2

72.5

(48.3)

Learn why cash conversion metrics matter to retailers.

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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.

At the time of publication, Anders Bylund was a True Religion shareholder but had no position in any other company mentioned. Fool rules are here.