On Aug. 21, Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) announced earnings for the second quarter ended Aug. 4.

  • Staples' sales were $4.3 billion, an increase of 10.6% from a year ago, as laptops flew off the shelves. However, furniture remained in place, causing North American comps to drop 2%.
  • The company's international operating income rate improved significantly, helping the overall bottom line increase by 11%.
  • The company continued its worldwide expansion, opening 23 stores in the U.S. and 13 elsewhere.
  • Staples earns a three-star rating (out of a possible five) over at Motley Fool CAPS, as does competitor Office Depot (NYSE:ODP); OfficeMax (NYSE:OMX) gets just one star. Head on over to the CAPS community and offer your own opinion.

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

Income Statement Highlights

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Sales

$4,290.4

$3,880.7

10.6%

Net Profit

$178.8

$161.2

11.0%

EPS

$0.25

$0.22

13.6%

Diluted Shares

726.1

744.1

(2.4%)

Get back to basics with the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

28.2%

28.3%

(0.1)

Operating Margin

6.5%

6.5%

0.0

Net Margin

4.2%

4.2%

0.0

*Expressed in percentage points

Margins are the earnings engine.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$857.2

$1,041.4

(17.7%)

Accounts Rec.

$790.5

$631.2

25.2%

Inventory

$2,252.3

$1,903.7

18.3%

Liabilities

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$1,615.7

$1,403.6

15.1%

Long-Term Debt

$319.3

$514.6

(38.0%)

The balance sheet reflects the company's health.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2007

YTD 2006

Change

Cash from Ops.

$219.5

$128.6

70.6%

Capital Expenditures

$205.6

$253.7

(19.0%)

Free Cash Flow

$13.9

($125.1)

(N/A)

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 any of the companies in this article.