Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS), the toy and game maker whose brands include Transformers, Playskool, Milton Bradley, and Wizards of the Coast, is scheduled to discuss its third quarter 2009 financial results in a webcast Monday at 8:30 AM ET. You can catch the webcast live or replayed on the company's website.
The three months that ended in September included Comic-Con, the release of the G.I. Joe movie, and the introduction of the Hasbro Studios management team. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this Pawtucket, R.I.-based toy maker to report that earnings grew 4.3% from a year ago to $0.93 per share. Sales for the quarter are expected to be 1.7% higher to $1.3 billion.
So far, the forecast for the full year is for earnings of $2.12 per share (+5.7%) on $4.1 billion (+1.0%) in sales. Earnings of this dividend-paying company fell short of the Street view in only one of the past five quarters, beating estimates by as much as three cents per share.
Hasbro's long-term EPS growth forecast is 9.0%, which is better than that of competitor Mattel Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT). Hasbro's earnings multiple is 14x, but the First Call consensus recommendation remains to hold HAS. The Motley Fool, though, feels that Hasbro could be the next Marvel as it makes moves to follow its target market away from traditional toys and games to media and entertainment-related ones.
Hasbro shares are 16.3% higher than three months ago, closing Friday at $29.52, about a buck and a half shy of the 52-week high.
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