Thursday's after-market stock trading wasn't particularly thick and heavy. But there's always something bubbling on the exchange, and today was no different. The dominant company in the entertainment industry, Walt Disney (DIS +0.30%), reported its Q2 2019 results, while there was some movement in Lyft (LYFT +0.04%) thanks to developments with its top rival.
Read on to find out how this spotlight-loving company performed.
Image source: Lyft
Disney's Q2 tops the analysts
Walt Disney exceeded analyst projections for both revenue and profitability in its quarterly report, and initial investor reaction has been guardedly positive. As of this writing, Disney shares are up by just over $2, or 1.6%, in after-hours trading.
The Mouse reaped sales of just over $14.9 billion. Although that was merely 3% higher than the Q2 2018 result, it handily beat the average analyst estimate of $14.5 billion.
Adjusted net profit for the just-reported quarter came in at $1.61 per share. That was well down from the year-ago figure of $1.84, but it also beat the average prognostication, which was set at $1.58.
Three of the four traditional Disney business units delivered higher revenue during the quarter. The biggest gainer was its parks, experiences, and products unit, the top line of which rose by 5% on a year-over-year basis.
However, the company's studio entertainment division, the one that produces and releases films, saw a notable 21% decline. Disney attributed the drop to the Q2 2018 success of hit superhero movie Black Panther, along with this quarter's lack of a release in the eternally popular Star Wars saga.
This wasn't a blowout quarter for Disney, but it did well enough and is primed for good results ahead. In particular, studio entertainment should recover quite nicely, with the runaway success of current release Avengers: Endgame.
Lyft's big rivalry looms
Lyft's brief tenure as the only monster ride-sharing company on the stock exchange is coming to an end. In a matter of hours, rival Uber (UBER 0.31%) will finally launch its initial public offering (IPO), with its shares making their debut on the New York Stock Exchange Friday.
Ahead of the launch, Uber is apparently finalizing its IPO price. According to the latest media reports, the company has decided its stock will IPO at the midpoint or below of its previously announced range of $44 to $50 per share.
Despite this development, which doesn't indicate strong confidence in Uber stock, Lyft was trading slightly higher in post-market action, by a bit under 1%, or $0.30 per share. Perhaps some investors consider Lyft to have better potential than Uber; after all, in Lyft's just-reported Q1, the company nearly doubled its revenue while shaving its bottom-line loss.
The immediate future of Lyft's stock will of course be affected by what happens in Uber's IPO, and how that company's stock begins trading subsequently. We might expect the shares of both companies to be hot in post-market trading at the end of this week, and very possibly well into next.
We might also get a more precise figure tonight regarding Uber's IPO price. If that happens, look for more action in Lyft stock.
