On May 24, Aeropostale (NYSE:ARO) released earnings for the first quarter ended May 5.

  • Earnings rose 64.4% as the retailer earned $13.8 million.
  • Total sales increased 12% to $275.8 million, with comps gaining 2.5%.
  • The company expects to earn $0.26 to $0.28 per share in the second quarter, benefiting from the extra week of back-to-school shopping, or the calendar-year shift, that will add $0.04 to $0.06 per share to the quarter's results.
  • Aeropostale is a three-star stock (out of a possible five) in Motley Fool CAPS.

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

Income Statement Highlights

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Sales

$275.8

$246.3

12%

Net Profit

$13.8

$8.4

64.4%

EPS

$0.26

$0.15

73.3%

Diluted Shares

52.1

55.1

(5.3%)

Get back to basics with the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

32.2%

28.6%

3.5

Operating Margin

7.4%

5%

2.5

Net Margin

5%

3.4%

1.6

*Expressed in percentage points

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$210.7

$204.2

3.2%

Inventory

$107.6

$109.0

(1.3%)

Liabilities

Q1 2007

Q1 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$43.4

$71.1

(38.9%)

The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

Looks like the cash flow statement got blown away.

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.

At the time of publication, Fool contributor Mike Cianciolo held no position in Aeropostale.