On Oct. 18, computer memory maker NVE (NASDAQ:NVEC) released second-quarter earnings for the period ended Sept. 30.

  • Fool contributor Stephen Ellis is less than thrilled with the story behind these numbers, even though the stock closed 20% higher Thursday.
  • Revenues and EPS did quite a bit better than Wall Street had expected.
  • Revenues increased by 44% due to an 87% increase in product sales, which was partially offset by a 40% decrease in contract research and development revenue.
  • Higher operating margins helped push net income up.
  • Free cash flow decreased slightly in year-to-date numbers because of higher capital spending.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Sales

$3.7

$4.40

$3.05

44%

Net Profit

--

$1.28

$0.36

253%

EPS

$0.20

$0.27

$0.08

238%

Diluted Shares

--

4.79

4.68

2.4%



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

Margin Checkup

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change*

Gross Margin

67.28%

46.67%

20.61

Operating Margin

42.24%

16.75%

25.49

Net Margin

29.18%

11.93%

17.25

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$0.61

$2.70

(77.3%)

Accounts Rec.

$2.14

$1.97

8.5%

Inventory

$2.25

$1.68

33.7%



Liabilities

Q2 2007

Q2 2006

Change

Accounts Payable

$0.27

$0.39

(29.5%)

Long-Term Debt

$0.00

$0.00

N/A



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2007

YTD 2006

Change

Cash From Ops.

$1.88

$1.69

11.3%

Capital Expenditures

$0.23

$0.00

N/A

Free Cash Flow

$1.65

$1.69

(2.4%)



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related companies:

  • On Track Innovations (NASDAQ:OTIV)
  • CEVA (NASDAQ:CEVA)
  • Bookham (NASDAQ:BKHM)

Related Foolishness:

Want the real deal when it comes to cutting-edge technologies? Find high-tech companies with more products than promises when you sign up for a free 30-day trial to David Gardner's Motley Fool Rule Breakers.

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.

Rex Moore reviewed this story. He owns no companies mentioned.