More than just a weekend separates Friday's quarterly report from Mattel
Hasbro is thriving. Revenue would have climbed 7%, if not for the impact of the quarter's strengthening dollar. Net earnings clocked in at $0.26 a share, or $0.32 a share before accounting for dilution resulting from its deal with Discovery Communications
Now is just a great time to be Hasbro. Two of its toy lines -- Transformers and G.I. Joe -- are receiving serious multiplex attention this summer, while many of its signature board games are becoming recessionary favorites.
But over in the Mattel camp, this is certainly not the best of times. Investors may have applauded the company's bottom-line performance, with earnings doubling to $0.06 a share, but there's a serious popularity problem with Mattel's playthings.
Domestic revenue fell by 12%. International revenue plunged even more sharply, off 26% (or 16% if you back out the foreign exchange impact). All of Mattel's major toy categories suffered double-digit percentage declines, save for its American Girl dolls (where revenue clocked in flat). Clearly, the company behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price could use a makeover.
Hasbro has taken a page out of Marvel's
Mattel deserves credit for shaving away at its costs to deliver earnings growth despite its steep top-line plunge. However, it still has a long way to go to keep up with Hasbro.
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