On Nov. 16, technology powerhouse Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) released earnings for the 2006 fiscal year ended Oct. 31.

  • Restructuring charges had a serious impact on 2005 earnings, though less so for the full year than the fourth quarter, proportionally speaking. Disregarding the $158 million charge in 2006 and $1.68 billion in 2005, earnings grew 55.7%, and net margins expanded a bit slower at 2.2 percentage points.

  • Even at that, it's hard to be disappointed about more than 50% earnings growth, especially since cash flows also expanded and the balance sheet looks exceedingly healthy.

  • Every business segment grew revenues and operational income, save for a slight sales downtick at HP Financial Services. The star performance came from the Technology Solutions group, which increased income by 60% to $3 billion on a mere 2.7% revenue boost.

(Figures in millions, except per-share and cash-conversion data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Sales

$91,230

$91,658

$86,696

5.7%

Net Profit

--

$6,198

$2,398

158.5%

EPS

$2.18

$2.17

$0.82

164.6%

Diluted Shares

--

2,852

2,909

(2.0%)




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

Margin Checkup

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change*

Gross Margin

24.25%

23.36%

0.89

Operating Margin

7.16%

4.01%

3.15

Net Margin

6.76%

2.77%

3.99

*Expressed in percentage points.

Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Cash + ST Invest.

$16,422

$13,929

17.9%

Accounts Rec.

$10,873

$9,903

9.8%

Inventory

$7,750

$6,877

12.7%



Liabilities

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Accounts Payable

$12,102

$10,223

18.4%

Long-Term Debt

$2,490

$3,392

(26.6%)



Learn the ways of the balance sheet.

Cash Flow Highlights

FY 2006

FY 2005

Change

Cash From Ops.

$11,353

$8,028

41.4%

Capital Expenditures

$1,980

$1,453

36.3%

Free Cash Flow

$9,373

$6,575

42.6%



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Cash Conversion Checkup

FY 2006*

FY 2005*

Change*

Days in Inventory

38.4

38.3

0.1

Days in Receivables

41.4

42.4

(1.0)

Days Payables Outstanding

58.7

53.8

4.8

Cash Conversion Cycle

21.1

26.8

(5.7)

*Expressed in days.

Read up on cash conversion metrics.

Related Companies:

  • Nokia (NYSE:NOK)
  • Canon (NYSE:CAJ)
  • Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
  • Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO)
  • Dell (NASDAQ:DELL)
  • Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL)

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.

At the time of publication, Fool contributor Anders Bylund had no position in any company mentioned. Fool rules are here.