On Nov. 9, Neenah Paper (NYSE:NP) released third-quarter earnings for the period ended Sept. 30.

  • Sales grew 11%, but declining margins hurt the bottom line.

  • Neenah completed the purchase of outstanding interests of Neenah Germany from FiberMark for $218 million.

  • Cash increased by 250% after the $134.8 million sale of woodland property.

  • Neenah Paper has a two-star rating in Motley Fool CAPS.

(Figures in millions, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Sales

$141.4

$127.7

10.7%

Net Profit*

$4.6

$7.0

(34.3%)

EPS

$0.31

$0.47

(34%)

Diluted Shares

14.8

14.8

0.4%

*Net income does not include income from discontinued operations.

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

Margin Checkup

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

14.1%

19%

(4.9)

Operating Margin

7.4%

12.1%

(4.6)

Net Margin

3.3%

5.5%

(2.2)

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$160.4

$45.9

249.5%

Accounts Rec.

$72.6

$65.8

10.3%

Inventory

$44.5

$98.3

(54.7%)



Liabilities

Q3 2006

Q3 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$32.0

$44.8

(28.6%)

Long-Term Debt

$225.3

$226.6

(0.6%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

YTD 2006

YTD 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$52.7

$46.3

13.8%

Capital Expenditures

$15.4

$18.0

(14.4%)

Free Cash Flow

$37.3

$28.3

31.8%



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Rock-Tenn (NYSE:RKT)
  • Wausau Paper (NYSE:WPP)
  • Buckeye Technologies (NYSE:BKI)
  • PH Glatfelter (NYSE:GLT)
  • Cenveo (NYSE:CVO)

Related Foolishness:

Neenah Paper is a Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendation.

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.