Shares of toy maker Hasbro Inc. (HAS) rose in early morning trading after the toy maker posted better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter before the market opened.

Going into the earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see Hasbro report earnings of $0.92 per share, but actual earnings came in at $0.99. Earnings were down though from $1.09 during the same period last year.

Continue reading Hasbro Trades Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Hasbro Trades Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Perhaps it is the cynic in me, but I was not surprised to read this story about Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) from Bloomberg. The news outlet obtained an e-mail that was sent to Walmart managers instructing them to raise prices on an average of 1,800 types of toys per store. The managers were instructed to perform the price markups "as soon as possible" and were told that the price changes were "to better enable your store and the company to have a successful financial month."

Walmart stated that these price increases went into effect because temporary discounts on products (including toys) ended on November 30. Spokesman Ravi Jariwala, spokesman for Walmart, said in an e-mail, "Once a rollback ends, the item returns to its original everyday low price." That said, Eric Johnson director of the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth noted that "In previous years Wal-Mart has come out and hammered everyone with unbelievably low toy prices ... They stepped away from that this year and after Thanksgiving their prices have crept back up."

Continue reading Walmart Stores Raise Toy Prices for Christmas -- Surprised?

Walmart Stores Raise Toy Prices for Christmas -- Surprised? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toy manufacturer Mattel (MAT) announced Friday morning that its third-quarter earnings increased to $283.3 million, or 77 cents per share. The results were 23% better than last year's third-quarter earnings of 63 cents per share, or $229.8 billion.

As for sales, the toy maker pulled in $1.83 billion, which is 2% better than last year's same-quarter results. Compared to a year ago, the results were very solid; compared to expectations, the results are mixed. The Street expected MAT to earn 75 cents per share (which it beat by two cents per share) on sales of $1.94 billion (which MAT missed).

Continue reading Mattel Reports Stronger-Than-Expected Earnings

Mattel Reports Stronger-Than-Expected Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McDonald's Happy Meals Might Become Less Happy

McDonald's Happy Meals Might Become Less Happy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mattel's Second-Quarter Income Doubles

Mattel's Second-Quarter Income Doubles originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hasbro Is Having Fun Today

Hasbro Is Having Fun Today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) had a notable trading day. The company's shares hit a new 52-week high of $40.77 after the first-quarter earnings report was distributed to the market. Volume was strong during the session.

Quite frankly, I look upon Hasbro as a very viable candidate for investment capital. Why do I say this? Well, I think we've got a nice combination of technical and fundamental strength. And let us start with the technical side of things. Check out the one-year chart. Not a bad trend, huh? Wall Street is clearly positive on the future prospects of the toy maker. Put this chart together with the 52-week high and you've got yourself a compelling price-action thesis.

Continue reading Hasbro Hits New 52-Week High on Earnings

Hasbro Hits New 52-Week High on Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toys R Us bought FAO Schwarz in May and is now ready to do something interesting with it.

It's a pretty bold move for a tough retail market. Toys R Us is opening FAO Schwarz boutiques in some of its stores. It's also relaunching the upscale toy seller's website, FAO.com. A year ago, this would have been suicide, but now, it might work out. With retailers in every sector fighting for an edge, this move may beef up the Toys R Us in-store experience, with the online play helping it reach higher-spending consumers that may not have access to an FAO brick-and-mortar spot.

Continue reading Toys R Us opening FAO Schwarz boutiques for the holidays

Toys R Us opening FAO Schwarz boutiques for the holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hasbro's top line contracted 2%, and earnings per share, even with some dilution from a joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA) and investments in Hasbro's virtual-studio initiative, increased 11% to 99 cents. Expectations were beat by six pennies. Gee, that was better than Mattel's performance. The maker of Barbie actually saw a per-share earnings decline and came in line with forecasts.

Continue reading Wall Street didn't want to play with Hasbro after Q3 results

Wall Street didn't want to play with Hasbro after Q3 results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First, here's the data. Sales decreased 8%. They were affected, in part, by currency translation. Earnings per share came in at 63 cents. This was two pennies below last year's income figure. According to Bloomberg, that profit performance misses expectations by a penny, but I've read other sources which report that Mattel met expectations. I think I'll call this one in line with projections.

Continue reading Mattel gets a bid on third-quarter news

Mattel gets a bid on third-quarter news originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the current economic environment, a lot of companies are cutting back costs wherever they can in hopes of boosting earnings, but entertainment giant Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is taking a different approach and spending in hopes of boosting its sales.

Disney is hoping that by completely revamping its retail stores that it will be able to lure in more customers, keep them longer, and encourage more sales. In order to make the best of their new marketing direction, they have enlisted the aid of one of the greatest (in my opinion) retail designers out there, Steve Jobs.

Continue reading While others are cutting back, Disney is spending

While others are cutting back, Disney is spending originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hasbro: A high-risk play that's not for the squeamish

Hasbro: A high-risk play that's not for the squeamish originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK) is in rough shape. Sure, the toy industry can be tough. Just ask Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) and Mattel (NYSE: MAT). Even with great brands stocking a powerhouse portfolio, getting, and then keeping, the attention of kids is a difficult task. Well, JAKKS Pacific not only has that challenge to contend with, it has others as well.

Let's start with the awful earnings report management released to the market after the bell on Tuesday. For the second quarter, the company lost 3 cents per share on an adjusted basis. This compares to a profit of 17 cents per share in the year-ago period. Revenues were flat and unexciting.

Continue reading JAKKS Pacific: A speculative buy after the awful Q2 report?

JAKKS Pacific: A speculative buy after the awful Q2 report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hasbro (HAS) posts better than expected earnings

Hasbro (HAS) posts better than expected earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) is all about fun and games, but it doesn't play around when it competes against Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK). In fact, the stock is up over 7% today as of this writing on the toy manufacturer's earnings news. According to Reuters, Mattel made 6 cents per share during the second quarter, beating estimates by a whopping five pennies.

Pretty good news for Mattel, considering it's been having trouble lately with its Barbie line. Mattel has also had problems with its top-line sales. They dropped 19% in Q2. Fluctuations in the value of the dollar helped to hinder the sales picture, but make no mistake -- Mattel has to step things up a couple notches to keep the top line healthy. Toys are a difficult category to sell during a recession. And when toys do sell, even during the Christmas retail period, they might not command top dollar. Hot toys do, of course, but an entire portfolio cannot necessarily be saved by a single fad item.

Continue reading Mattel up on earnings news, but its Barbie toys need help

Mattel up on earnings news, but its Barbie toys need help originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This morning, Toys R Us Inc. announced that it purchased high-end toy retailer FAO Schwarz. FAO has struggled mightily for years, thanks to harsh competition from discount toy stores.

Toys R Us CEO Jerry Storch stated, "We will work tirelessly to preserve the distinctiveness and integrity of the FAO Schwarz stores and brand as we grow the business and, indeed, take the brand to even greater heights."

Continue reading A purchase in toyland, Toys R Us buys FAO Schwarz

A purchase in toyland, Toys R Us buys FAO Schwarz originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hasbro (NYSE: HAS), a toymaker that competes with Mattel (NYSE: MAT) and JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK), reported results for the first quarter on Monday. They weren't that spectacular. No big earnings beat here. Net sales were down 6%, even excluding the effect of currency translation. Net income dropped 44% to $0.14 per share. According to this source, that number unfortunately merely met Wall Street expectations.

Of course, I suppose things could have been worse. Hasbro could have missed expectations by a mile. In this kind of economy, we probably should be glad that a company whose products can easily be cut from any discretionary family budget at least was able to keep up with prevailing wisdom.

Continue reading Hasbro meets expectations in tough Q1

Hasbro meets expectations in tough Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK), a toy maker which competes with Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) and Mattel (NYSE: MAT), did not have a merry Christmas. In that regard, it's no different than the competition. Times are tough, and since toys are not a necessity, it's no wonder that earnings for JAKKS Pacific missed Q4 estimates by a rather significant amount. Net sales dipped by over 5%, and net income dropped 47% to $0.55 per share according to the earnings release. The call was for $1.02 per share. Did I say estimates missed by a rather significant amount? I didn't realize that I was in the mood for understatement.

Continue reading JAKKS Pacific found no Christmas magic in Q4

JAKKS Pacific found no Christmas magic in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hasbro

Continue reading Hasbro shares up on earnings miss -- does this mean it's a buy?

Hasbro shares up on earnings miss -- does this mean it's a buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), big rival of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK), had one apocalyptically bad quarter. According to today's Stocks in the News, the toy maker earned $0.49 per share in the fourth quarter. Expectations were for $0.72 per share. Know that horrible Christmas retail season you've been hearing about? It's real.

Mattel, it seems, wasn't able to leverage any of its brand power to save itself from the recession. Well, I suppose that isn't entirely true, since American Girl sales went up 5% in Q4 according to the corporate press release. But Mattel's famous, historical brands, Hot Wheels and Barbie, did no heavy lifting whatsoever, and you would have expected them to help out at least a little. Worldwide gross sales for Fisher Price decreased 10%. For Barbie, the plunge was 21%. And for the Wheels category (which includes Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and remote-control items), sales dropped 19%.

Continue reading Mattel did terribly in the holiday quarter -- is it a buy on the sell-off?

Mattel did terribly in the holiday quarter -- is it a buy on the sell-off? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.