Trouble is a Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) board game. It is not, most certainly not, the state of Hasbro. The shares have more than doubled over the past year, starting off the new trading week at levels unseen since 1999.
That's good news to readers of our Motley Fool Stock Advisor, as Hasbro was singled out by David Gardner as a top pick earlier this year. It was also a smart Hidden Gems selection back in June. While the company won't post its third-quarter results until later this month, the toy maker is already off to a strong start this year.
Sure, Hasbro only earned $12.6 million -- or $0.07 a share -- over the first half of the year, but it actually lost money over the same period the previous year. We're now heading into the seasonally potent third and fourth quarters when retailers stock up their shelves and holiday shoppers clean them out. Last year Hasbro produced nearly two-thirds of its revenue and all of its profits in the last half of the year.
This season looks promising. Hasbro's Beyblade tops and Furreal Friends line of battery-operated plush kittens and puppies should rank high on holiday wish lists. Tack those franchises on top of Hasbro's already popular lines of playthings and it becomes clear that Hasbro isn't just playing around here.
Along with rival Mattel (NYSE:MAT) and edgier niche upstarts like LeapFrog (NYSE:LF), Hasbro looks to win over shoppers at the country's two leading toy retailers -- Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Toys "R" Us (NYSE:TOY). A turnaround in the economy coupled with growth in disposable income can translate into fatter stockings and that means more winners than losers this year.
Still looking for Trouble? Hasbro's got more Trouble than you're bargaining for -- but only the good kind.
