On May 23, IT management software maker CA (NYSE:CA) released fourth-quarter earnings for the period ended March 31.

  • Revenue was up 7%, but earnings and cash from operations were down.
  • Fiscal 2008 guidance of $4.05 billion to $4.10 billion in sales and $0.75-$0.79 in EPS seemed a bit light, according to most pundits. That's probably why the stock is down 6.5% in afternoon trading.
  • The stock carries the lowest possible rating in Motley Fool CAPS -- one lonely star.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data.)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2007

Q4 2006

Change

Sales

$1,005

$942

6.7%

Net Profit*

($20)

($39)

N/A

EPS

($0.04)

($0.07)

N/A

Diluted Shares

525

575

(8.7%)

*Income from continuing operations.

Get back to basics with the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q4 2007

Q4 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

90.3%

92%

(1.8)

Operating Margin

(1.2%)

(4.9%)

3.7

Net Margin

(2%)

(4.1%)

2.2

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q4 2007

Q4 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$2,280

$1,865

22.3%

Accounts Rec.

$390

$552

(29.3%)

Liabilities

Q4 2007

Q4 2006

Change

Long-Term Debt

$2,572

$1,813

41.9%

The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

Q4 2007

Q4 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$521

$566

(8%)

Capital Expenditures*

$71

$331

(78.5%)

Free Cash Flow

$450

$235

91.5%

*Includes acquisitions made during the year.

Free cash flow is a Fool's best friend.

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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. This data has been provided by Netscribes. To provide feedback on this article, please click on the "feedback" button below.