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's 'Secretariat' Disappoints

Disney's 'Secretariat' Disappoints originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:00:00 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.

Lionsgate (LGF) needed The Expendables to be a hit, as I noted last week. And management scored on that count. According to early estimates for domestic theatrical performance at Box Office Mojo, the movie nabbed first place with $35 million over the three-day weekend.

Coming in a strong second was Sony's (SNE) Eat Pray Love, which had a ton of buzz surrounding it going into its debut, capturing $23 million. Not bad.

Continue reading Lionsgate Scores Victory with 'Expendables'

Lionsgate Scores Victory with 'Expendables' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney's Q3 Earnings: Not Bad, but Shareholders Need More

Disney's Q3 Earnings: Not Bad, but Shareholders Need More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney's 'Toy Story' Isn't Helping Stock

Disney's 'Toy Story' Isn't Helping Stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shareholders of Disney (DIS) are looking forward to a little boost this

Yet, I have a thought to propose to the media industry: Should Disney charge viewers to see the finale?

Continue reading Should Disney Have Charged for the 'Lost' Finale?

Should Disney Have Charged for the 'Lost' Finale? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 May 2010 13:00:00 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.

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.

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.

I read a piece over at the Los Angeles Times about the rapidity of changes going on within Disney's (DIS) studio system. As a shareholder, I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not expecting much. Sometimes it's better that way when it comes to the Mouse. Those who have owned the stock as long as I have know what I'm talking about.

The cited article discusses the moves being made by the new studio head, Rich Ross. He replaced the well-respected Dick Cook. Well-respected or not, Cook had to go. I concurred with CEO Bob Iger's perception that a change in leadership was necessary for the celluloid portion of the Disney business model.

Continue reading Will Rich Ross really have a positive impact on Disney's movie operations?

Will Rich Ross really have a positive impact on Disney's movie operations? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:10:00 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.

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.

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.

Monday, August 31, 2009, will go down as one strange trading day. Disney (NYSE: DIS) buys Marvel (NYSE: MVL). BloggingStocks reported the details of the deal here.

As a long-time shareholder of Disney, I have to ask: Does CEO Bob Iger know what the heck he's doing anymore? I thought the news was quite surreal. I suppose we all knew that Marvel would be a takeover target someday but, honestly, I thought some other media conglomerate, like maybe News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), would do a deal before the Mouse would.

Continue reading Does the Disney/Marvel deal mean that CEO Bob Iger is out of ideas?

Does the Disney/Marvel deal mean that CEO Bob Iger is out of ideas? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (NYSE: DIS) programmed a new movie recently on one of its prime media assets. The film, titled Princess Protection Program, debuted on the Disney Channel and stars a young actress named Selena Gomez. The casting choice was no accident. Because Disney tries to be as synergistic as possible (the company is generally good when it comes to the science of synergy, although there are certainly opportunities for it to be even better), the Mouse made sure to use Gomez since she is the popular star of another Disney Channel program called Wizards of Waverly Place, a project meant to capture at least a little of the Harry Potter magic.

Continue reading Disney Channel does it again with 'Princess' film, but it still has challenges

Disney Channel does it again with 'Princess' film, but it still has challenges originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (NYSE: DIS), a media conglomerate that does battle with the likes of Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal, CBS (NYSE: CBS), and News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), changed things up this time around when it came to second-quarter earnings. When I reported on the company's first-quarter earnings, I observed that the Mouse missed expectations. Thankfully, Disney pulled itself together and went beyond the call of Wall Street.

Disney said it earned 43 cents per share on an adjusted basis when it issued its Q2 release on Tuesday after the bell. As I noted in my earnings preview, analysts were looking for 40 cents per share. While that's a nice beat, let's be realistic: Disney is still having a rough time. That 43 cents per-share figure represented a drop of 26% compared to the year-ago period.

Continue reading Disney beats in Q2, but the studio division is one embarrassing mess

Disney beats in Q2, but the studio division is one embarrassing mess originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (NYSE: DIS), a media conglomerate that competes with CBS (NYSE: CBS), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Sony (NYSE: SNE), and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), will report fiscal second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, May 5. And it appears that investors should be prepared for a significant decline in the bottom line. Analysts believe that income may drop by over 30% to $0.40 per share. Yep, those magical days of profit growth are, for the time being, a thing of the past.

And it's not difficult to understand why. Disney is battling a recession. Consumers aren't spending money. They need all kinds of promotions and discounts to get them to open their wallets. So, theme parks and consumer products are understandably challenged. And then there's the advertising recession. That affects Disney's media properties. DVD sales? They're not as robust as they used to be. All in all, this is not a great time to be a shareholder of the Mouse.

Continue reading Earnings preview: Will Disney's Q2 be a fun ride?

Earnings preview: Will Disney's Q2 be a fun ride? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 May 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.