On Feb. 15, after the market close, hot-wings-and-sports-bar restaurateur Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) released fourth-quarter and year-end results for the period ended Dec. 31. Here are the quick and dirty details for the quarter.

  • Total sales advanced a spicy 41.3%, as same-store sales spiked 13.2% at company-owned stores and 6.5% at franchised restaurants.
  • Diluted earnings improved a mind-numbing 156.7%, even though $0.16 was due to a 14th week during the quarter. The rest was attributed to "favorable trends in cost of sales, labor and operating expenses, [and] a lower than anticipated tax rate."
  • Management is projecting 15% unit growth, 20% revenue growth, and a 25% annual increase in earnings over each of the next three fiscal years. Not bad, not bad indeed.

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Sales

$83,314

$58,952

41.3%

Net Profit

$6,799

$2,618

159.7%

EPS

$0.77

$0.30

156.7%

Diluted Shares

8,839

8,711

1.5%

*Net profit includes restructuring charges. Three months ended Dec. 31, 2006 and 2005.

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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

73.00%

72.60%

0.40

Operating Margin

10.30%

6.37%

3.93

Net Margin

8.16%

4.44%

3.72

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$64,585

$52,404

23.2%

Accounts Rec.

$6,141

$4,431

38.6%

Inventory

$1,767

$1,502

17.6%


Liabilities

Q4 2006

Q4 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$5,874

$6,628

(11.4%)

Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$33,031

$24,618

34.2%

Capital Expenditures

$23,760

$21,865

8.7%

Free Cash Flow

$9,271

$2,753

236.8%

Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Comparable companies:

  • CBRL Group (Nasdaq: CBRL)
  • Famous Dave's of America (Nasdaq: DAVE)
  • Texas Roadhouse (Nasdaq: TXRH)
  • Brinker International (NYSE: EAT)
  • Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI)

Related Foolishness:

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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.

Fool contributor Ryan Fuhrmann has no financial interest in any company mentioned. Feel free to email him with feedback or to discuss any companies mentioned further. The Fool's disclosure policy is well aware that buffalo don't have wings.