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.