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As earnings season comes to a close, one more downbeat report has weighed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.16%) today. The Dow's down about 50 points as of 2:20 p.m. EDT, with entertainment giant Disney (DIS -0.17%) leading the way down. Disney has slipped 1.6% after it reported its second-quarter results after yesterday's market close. It's hardly the only stock losing value on the index; the majority of blue-chippers are in the red today. Let's catch up on the top stories around the Dow.
Disney's earnings can't impress Wall Street
On the surface, Disney's earnings weren't all that bad. The company's earnings per share narrowly edged out analyst projections, and the company's revenue grew more than 4% year over year for the quarter. The closely watched studio division suffered through a lackluster quarter, however, as the box-office bomb The Lone Ranger weighed on results. The division's profit fell 36% for the quarter, with sales down 2% despite the booming success of titles such as Monsters University and Iron Man 3. However, given Q2 2013's release of The Avengers -- one of the best-selling films of all time -- Disney had a lot to live up to this quarter.
The results are still hardly reason for pessimism. The company's parks division grew revenue at a solid 7% clip, with operating profit up 9%. Additionally, Disney's media segment posted operating profit growth exceeding 8% as advertising at networks such as ABC and ESPN helped push up revenue. Ultimately, Disney is a diverse company with a plethora of star brands. One downbeat quarter from its films department isn't a reason to sell in a panic.
Bank of America's (BAC -0.46%) struggling through a much different trial today, with shares down around 1.7%. The company's facing a lawsuit from the U.S. government alleging that the bank committed investment fraud in selling $850 million of mortgage-backed securities to investors before the recession hit. The government claims that B of A lied to investors about risk in the securities, while Bank of America defended its actions by claiming that the securities performed better than similar alternatives at the time. For investors, it's a key lawsuit to watch as the bank attempts to put aside the scrutiny of the 2008 recession.
DuPont (DD) leads a small corps of Dow stocks higher today, with shares of the chemical giant up 0.7% so far. The stock's been one of the best performers on the Dow this year, with shares up nearly 34% year to date. However, DuPont could be ready to keep surging as it pivots toward the growth of its agricultural division, which boosted its recent earnings report even as overall company profit fell about 12%. The company's considering a sale or other divestment of its performance-chemicals division, given its recent lackluster performance, and if DuPont can shed its slower-growth parts, the slimmer company could be a star.
