According to this source, Hasbro beat analyst expectations by three pennies. That's a lot better than the usual penny. In addition, management came ahead on the revenue front as well. But did the stock rally on this news? No, it didn't. As of this writing, Hasbro's shares are trading down 7%. I'm surprised to some extent. I at least would have figured a flat performance for the stock. Hasbro is a big name when it comes to toys, and it sells merchandise based on big brands such as Star Wars and Transformers. We are now in the Christmas-shopping season; it's Hasbro's time of year. Thing is, though, Wall Street is worried. It doesn't matter that the market is up as I compose this piece (by the time I submit it, the major indexes could be easily be down 300 points for who knows what). And Hasbro's stock is going to suffer right along with the market. Not only that, but the stock will probably be pressured just because no one knows exactly how much toy buying will go on.

Still, Hasbro's stock was strong earlier in the year, it pays a dividend, and the company was in the market buying back some of its shares during the quarter. Long-term investors I'm sure are willing to snap up some Hasbro. Like I say, it has some powerful properties to sell (although I do wonder how its Star Wars: The Clone Wars product line will do this Christmas since the movie didn't perform so well). However, it might be prudent to wait for a higher yield in this market. The company did well in Q3, but the fourth quarter is not going to be easy for any business.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Hasbro beats in Q3, but its stock drops anyway originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) The Dark Knight will not rest. According to Boxofficemojo, the superhero flick finished in first place yet again over the weekend. It grossed an estimated $26 million at domestic theaters. Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Pineapple Express put forth a valiant effort to beat the Bat, but it came up a little short. That film came in second with roughly $22 million for the three-day weekend. It debuted on Wednesday, and its total gross to date is around $40 million. Sony was smart in opening it early so that it might gain some positive word of mouth for the weekend. Any movie going up against Dark Knight needs whatever assist it can get. Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow are becoming quite the Hollywood kings of R-rated youth-targeted comedies, and Pineapple Express will only serve to further cement their dominion in Tinsel Town.

Coming in third was The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, distributed by General Electric's (NYSE: GE) Universal. The fantasy flick took in $16 million and its total tally stands at $70 million. An okay performance, but nothing special. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 from Time Warner was in fourth place with a $10.7 million take. That wasn't too good for a film that I thought had a lot of buzz, but the budget on the project isn't too steep at under $30 million, so maybe this one will do all right. Sony's Step Brothers took hold of fifth position. Disney (NYSE: DIS) continues to do horribly with its bomb Swing Vote. It dropped to ninth place.

So Time Warner's studio division will have the success of The Dark Knight to look forward to in future quarters as the movie, which now has over $440 million to its credit, progresses through home video and other ancillary channels. Disney will not have anything to look forward to from Swing Vote. And here's something else for Time Warner: Star Wars: The Clone Wars opens August 15. Time Warner will bring the cartoon to the silver screen ahead of the animated TV series that is set to debut later on. I think Clone Wars will surprise everyone by doing better than expected. The merchandise from Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is out in the marketplace now pushing George Lucas' new chapter in his famous franchise. May the Force be with the multiplex.

Disclosure: I own Disney and GE; positions can change at any time.

'The Dark Knight' continues its heroic box-office performance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hasbro

Yet, the stock is down today, as of this writing, by over 2%. What the heck? Well, one thing that should be noted on the earnings growth is that it really isn't as huge as it appears on the surface. Last year at this time, the company took back some warrants issued to George Lucas' media empire that caused the GAAP earnings to come in at quite a low number. If you take the effect of them out of the equation, then, unfortunately, earnings only grew this quarter by a measly penny.

Of course, it's also a tepid market day, so that could also be working against the stock. However, inflation is an issue as well. According to this article from Reuters, the specter of rising input costs is being felt. But does this mean I should no longer be bullish on the company? While I feel that inflation is something to watch with Hasbro, I remain bullish on the shares, although I would wait for a pullback so a higher yield can be received for one's investment dollars. It's difficult, I suppose, to be bullish on a toy company when I am personally bearish on both the economy and the equities markets, but I do like the recent strength of Hasbro's stock and I like the prospects for its brands (e.g., Star Wars, Transformers) ahead of the holiday season. Hasbro's portfolio is keeping me going...hopefully it will keep the stock going, too.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Hasbro beats expectations, but the stock sells off -- what gives? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNNMoney over the weekend reviewed the first half of the year for the markets. Among its lists of winners and losers, one stock got my attention.

Believe it or not, Hasbro (NYSE: HAS), a competitor of Mattel (NYSE: MAT) and JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK), was up quite nicely through the end of June. How nice? The stock increased in value by almost 40%. That's impressive, but is it persuasive? What I mean is, should one believe that the company's first-half strength is an undeniable indication that the trend will continue for the rest of the year?

I have been bullish on Hasbro and I think it's a great company that should benefit from the upcoming holiday season, but should doesn't necessarily imply would. We are in what I would call an all-bets-are-off market. The bears, and their claws, are slashing their way through the hallowed halls of Wall Street, and if the negative-wealth effect really gets going, thus further damaging consumer confidence, then one would have to wonder how Hasbro will fare in the second half of the year.

Without a doubt, though, put Hasbro on your watch list and perform some due diligence on the company. It's got some great brands in its portfolio like Monopoly and Transformers, and keep in mind that its Star Wars line is due to receive a nice catalytic jolt from the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated project. Hasbro's stock dropped almost 7% in the last month. This followed a lot of up months. If the stock experiences a further pullback, and the dividend yield rises, it may become attractive.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Will Hasbro's stock continue to perform? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out other Money Face-Off posts.

For pretentious film students and pop-culture-savvy hipsters alike, it's a debate as old as the hills of Tatooine ... who is the greatest movie mogul of all time? Is it George Lucas, mastermind behind the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, or Steven Spielberg, director of such Oscar-nominated fare as E.T., Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan. The pair always come up in conversation next to one another, and they will be forever linked through Raiders of the Lost Ark -- the first Indiana Jones movie -- which Lucas scripted and executive produced, and Spielberg directed.

Let's take a look at the resumes. Lucas assumed the director's chair for four of the six Star Wars movies (the original 1977 film and the three prequels), and American Graffiti, all of which he wrote. His name appears in the production credits of 47 past and upcoming projects (according to IMDB.com), including multiple video-game titles. He's been nominated four times for an Academy Award -- for the direction and the writing of Star Wars (the original) and American Graffiti. Other than a 1992 memorial award, he has never won.

Continue reading Money Face-Off: George Lucas vs. Steven Spielberg

Money Face-Off: George Lucas vs. Steven Spielberg originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Boosted by its licensing rights and marketing agreements for such characters as Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Transformers, quantitative analyst Vahan Janjigian recommends toy maker Hasbro (NYSE: HAS).

The editor of The Forbes Growth Investor says, "Hasbro has done an outstanding job of selecting licensing opportunities," noting that licensing agreements with Lucas Licensing and Marvel Entertainment give Hasbro rights to develop toys based on Star Wars movies and Marvel comic books.

The Marvel deal, he notes, provides an excellent example. Janjigian says, "Its numerous comic book characters, some of which are more than 40 years old, offer plenty of potential for future sales, especially as more of them make it onto the big screen."

He states, "A renewed focus on core brands and licensed merchandise has led to strong results in the past year. First quarter net revenues surged 33.6% year-over-year to $625.3 million."

Spider-Man branded merchandise, he observes, which benefited from the release of the movie Spider-Man 3, was responsible for more than half of the growth in volume.

The recent opening of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, he adds, could translate into brisk toy sales in the second quarter. Indeed, he forecasts, with seven films based on Marvel properties projected to be released over the next two years, Hasbro's prospects look "extremely promising."

Further, he says, "Hasbro should also benefit from the much hyped Transformers film." In fact, he notes, licensing revenues should receive a boost from the more than 230 Transformers-related agreements entered into by third-parties expecting to capitalize on the film.

He explains, "Transformers could signal more movie opportunities for HAS owned properties, which may further boost brand awareness and toy sales. Indeed, a G.I. Joe movie is already in the works."

The advisor concludes, "And let's not forget the company's more traditional products. The company has some of the most recognized brand names in the toy industry. Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers make classic board games such as Monopoly and Scrabble."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

Hasbro: Licensing rights 'tranform' profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.