There are so many moving parts to Disney (DIS -0.01%) these days. The company behind the biggest movies, most visited theme parks, and strongest media empire never takes a month off, but November will be particularly busy for one of the planet's most popular consumer discretionary stocks.
Between earnings, the launch of a disruptive digital service, and another busy slate of theatrical holiday releases, Disney will be making a lot of news this month. Let's take a closer look at some of the dates that Disney investors will want to be watching.
Image source: Disney.
Nov. 7
Disney will serve up its fiscal fourth-quarter results shortly after Thursday's market close. Every financial report matters, but Disney has a lot to prove after a sloppy summertime report. Disney stunned investors by posting a decline in attendance at its domestic theme parks during the fiscal third quarter. A buoyant economy and the Disneyland debut of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge during the quarter should've made it a blowout report, but that wasn't the case.
The March closing on its deal for key Fox assets should prop up top-line results -- the way it inflated revenue last time out -- but segment operating income still declined in the fiscal third quarter. Wall Street's holding out for a repeat performance, with revenue soaring 34% on the largely nonorganic growth stemming from the Fox deal with a sharp decline in per-share profitability.
Nov. 12
Disney hopes to go from disrupted to disruptor next week when it launches Disney+. The new premium streaming service has been generating a lot of hype since it was announced earlier this year. Disney's massive content catalog and exclusive new shows stemming from its iconic franchises will help drum up a crowd. Disney has also helped make its own luck by pricing the platform aggressively and offering deep discounts to select groups willing to pay for as many as three years ahead of time.
It remains to be seen how much of the growth at Disney+ will come at the expense of its television and cable networks business. Disney+ will inspire a fair amount of cord-cutting, but the migration is inevitable. Disney may as well be an ambitious leader as a frightened laggard.
Nov. 22
When it comes to Disney's Frozen, a lot of fans haven't been able to "let it go" -- and later this month Frozen II will open at a multiplex near you. Disney scored a surprising hit with the original tale of Elsa with her glacial touch and her sister Anna six years ago, and we know Disney doesn't mind following up a monster hit with a sequel these days.
It remains to be seen if the new movie will have as catchy a soundtrack as the original, but with the first movie ringing up nearly $1.3 billion in ticket sales worldwide, there will definitely be a large built-in audience of folks who will check out the new animated film at least once. Disney already has this year's four highest-grossing movies, and Frozen II should slide in to give the House of Mouse the top five slots of 2019 by the time its multiplex run is done.
