Shares of Disney (DIS) haven't strayed too far from where they were when the latest earnings report was released. It would have been nice if the numbers had acted as a catalyst for the stock (which I own), pushing it above the $40 mark. Didn't happen. Hey, we move on, right?

But Disney has another chance to prove to its investors that it's a great long-term holding. The Mouse's latest cartoon, Tangled, opened on Wednesday. The idea is to capture some value from the crowds that will be out at the multiplex during the Thanksgiving weekend. I sort of have a good feeling about this film.

Continue reading Disney Looking to Triumph with 'Tangled'

Disney Looking to Triumph with 'Tangled' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney Set to Report Q4 Earnings

Disney Set to Report Q4 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney Must Get Its Movie-Marketing House in Order

Disney Must Get Its Movie-Marketing House in Order originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Walt Disney Company's (DIS) Toy Story 3 is now out in the marketplace. Shareholders should be happy, right? This is the one everyone has been waiting for. This is the movie that will really justify the expensive Pixar purchase the Mouse made in 2006.

So far, though, I've been disappointed with the shares. They haven't done what I thought they would do. In fact, earlier in the year, I expressed a belief that the stock might hit $40 around the time of the sequel's release.

Continue reading Disney's 'Toy Story 3' Is Here: Does the Market Care?

Disney's 'Toy Story 3' Is Here: Does the Market Care? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading 'Iron Man 2' Tops at Theaters: What About Disney Stock?

'Iron Man 2' Tops at Theaters: What About Disney Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I haven't been bullish on Disney's (DIS) stock for quite a while. I own a long-term position, but I haven't added to it for years (I do, however, allow the annual dividend payout, too small that it is, to be reinvested). I'm waiting for the day when the shares finally break through $40. Disney hasn't seen $40 since, well, I don't even want to think how far back that price level goes.

This past week has been fascinating for the Mouse's investors. The media business was upgraded. There's been interesting activity going on in the company's options, as Schaeffer's Investment Research indicates. And the stock hit a fresh 52-week high of $33.22 on Friday; in fact, it closed at the 52-week high, right before the weekend, no less.

Continue reading Is It Finally Time to Be Bullish on Disney?

Is It Finally Time to Be Bullish on Disney? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), a major media company that competes with CBS (CBS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS), Sony (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), offered up fiscal Q1 data after the bell on Tuesday. From the looks of things, the Mouse had a good quarter.

According to my earnings preview, the call was for net income to come in at 39 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Disney actually made 47 cents per share. Not only was that a more than acceptable beat, but it represents growth of 15%.

Continue reading Disney Starts Off the New Fiscal Year with Solid Results

Disney Starts Off the New Fiscal Year with Solid Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I love the media sector, so Tuesday, February 9, will be an exciting day for me. After the market finishes its trading activities, we'll get reports from two entertainment companies: one's a big player in Hollywood, while the other would like to be just as big someday.

Let's start with the big gun. The Walt Disney Corporation (DIS) has first-quarter numbers all set to go, and investors are hoping for an unambiguous beat on the bottom line. The call is for net income to fall somewhere around 39 cents per share, according to Earnings.com. Kind of lousy, considering the Mouse made 41 cents per share in last year's Q1.

Continue reading Media Preview: Disney and Lions Gate to Report

Media Preview: Disney and Lions Gate to Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's an interesting article over at ICv2.com. As you may have heard, the Spider-Man franchise is about to undergo a mutation. Sony (SNE) apparently had creative differences with director Sam Raimi over the script for the fourth iteration in the series featuring Tobey Maguire as the titular character. This unfortunately led to a parting of the ways, and the need for a reboot, as they say in Hollywood.

There's an interesting business aspect to the deal that makes it imperative for Sony to come out with a new Spider-Man on a pretty regular basis. The rights will revert back to Marvel if Sony does nothing with them. Guess it's a use-it-or-lose-it deal.

Continue reading Relaunch of Spider-Man Franchise Could Be Shareholder Friendly

Relaunch of Spider-Man Franchise Could Be Shareholder Friendly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm sure many observers believe Disney is gearing up for a prosperous 2010. If you pull up a one-year chart over at AOL quotes, you'll note the remarkable uptrend the shares have been in; this uptrend is not only appealing to traders, but to investors as well. Investors like me.

Continue reading Disney receives new price target -- should I be impressed?

Disney receives new price target -- should I be impressed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The video game industry, as we are all aware, has taken a sharp turn from momentum growth. The various stocks in the sector, from my standpoint at least, are now becoming value-oriented plays. When this happens, the concept of consolidation comes into focus.

Trying to pick a stock that will experience a pop on a buyout is not for the faint of heart, or the impatient. And depending on the stocks you own, you might be hoping that you don't become involuntarily involved in an arbitrage scenario. That's why I was pleasantly relieved when I read an article stating that The Walt Disney Company (DIS) CEO Bob Iger may not be interested in purchasing a software publisher.

Continue reading Consolidation in the video game sector: Too soon to think about?

Consolidation in the video game sector: Too soon to think about? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), the media company behind Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear, and whose colleagues in the industry include CBS (CBS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS), Sony Corporation (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), reported results for Q4 and the full fiscal year on Thursday after the bell. While the bottom line came in ahead of expectations, I have to say that the release was disappointing to this shareholder.

Earnings on an adjusted basis for the quarter came in at 46 cents per share, higher than the number predicted by analysts. Unfortunately, as I go through the data, I don't think I'm too comforted by such income performance.

Continue reading Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio

Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), a media business that competes with Viacom (VIA), CBS (CBS), News Corp. (NWS), and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, will be talking up its fourth-quarter numbers on Thursday after the bell. Are you a shareholder? If so, are you excited? Well, don't get too excited, because we might not be getting any growth, even if the Mouse beats on the bottom line. According to Earnings.com, the call is for 40 cents per share versus the 43 cents per share made in the comparable period.

You know what, though? For the most part, I'm not so concerned with exactly how much Disney makes this quarter. I'm a shareholder, and I want to see management at least come in at the estimate, of course, but I'll be more interested in the conference call. Way more interested this time around, in fact.

Continue reading Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited?

Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Hasbro earnings preview: Mild growth expected in Q3

Hasbro earnings preview: Mild growth expected in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Goldman Sachs believes that the company should see a lot of prosperity in the next six months. The stock might even rise as high as $45 per share, if the price target is to be believed. The premium attached to 3-D movie tickets is part of the thesis here. As well as something else, something a lot more powerful: the franchise value of Shrek.

Continue reading DreamWorks Animation ready to rise?

DreamWorks Animation ready to rise? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (NYSE: DIS) desperately wants to get its movie business back in some kind of order. Look no further than the recent departure of Dick Cook. According to the Los Angeles Times, the studio head was forced to resign by CEO Bob Iger because of poor performance (Iger was right to do this, but I'm not sure he's any smarter than Cook, to be honest . . .). Unfortunately, Disney's latest project, Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, might not do much to help the cause.

According to Boxofficemojo, Surrogates came in second over the weekend at domestic theaters, behind Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The Disney film captured an estimated $15 million versus Meatballs' $24.6 million (final numbers are due later).

Continue reading Disney's movie business suffers another setback with 'Surrogates'

Disney's movie business suffers another setback with 'Surrogates' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I read a surprising article over at Boxofficemojo by Brandon Gray. The author highlighted the foreign financial performance of News Corp.'s (NASDAQ: NWS) computer-animated cartoon Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the third entry in the popular franchise. Amazingly, Dinosaurs has now grossed $667 million at theaters outside the domestic market.

What's so interesting about that? Well, it means that the project now occupies third place on the all-time foreign chart. Gray says the number-one film on this chart is Titanic, which was a co-production between News Corp. and Viacom (NYSE: VIA). Coming in second is Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Continue reading News Corp.'s 'Ice Age' sequel proves Pixar isn't only game in town?

News Corp.'s 'Ice Age' sequel proves Pixar isn't only game in town? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Of particular interest is one piece of content that was highlighted in an article at the Los Angeles Times website. Disney is making a significant bet on an upcoming cartoon called The Princess and the Frog. It won't be a flashy 3-D production. Instead, it's animated in a 2-D environment.

Continue reading Disney promotes its content with new convention

Disney promotes its content with new convention originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) was tops at the multiplex yet again with a scary horror franchise that the teens seem to be enjoying. The Final Destination, according to Boxofficemojo, grossed $12 million at domestic theaters over the three-day weekend, as of early estimates available at the time of this writing. I'm sure Destination will retain its number-one status once Labor Day is figured into the equation.

All About Steve, from News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), was the second-place film. It actually came close to Destination's take, bringing in about $11 million. Inglourious Basterds, distributed by The Weinstein Company, was third, and Gamer, an interesting sci-fi flick courtesy of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), was fourth. Sony's (NYSE: SNE) District 9, which came in fifth, has now gone beyond $100 million in total take.

Continue reading Time Warner and Death rule box office again

Time Warner and Death rule box office again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect upcoming catalysts and the company's opportunity in subsalt. FBR raised its target on shares to $60 from $50.
• Citigroup upgraded Marvel (NYSE: MVL) to Hold from Sell on expectations the acquisition by Disney (NYSE: DIS) will close. The firm raised its target on shares to $50 from $31.
• JPMorgan upgraded Cubic (NYSE: CUB) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the Vix ERG acquisition and increased sales visibility. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $38.
• Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Thompson Creek (NYSE: TC) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.