Tag: stock analysis

Disney Delivers 26.5M Disney+ Subscribers

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Disney (DIS) just delivered a stellar quarter beating on both the top and bottom lines while continuing to roll out its growth initiatives via streaming. Disney’s growth rotation is still in the early stages with the remediation of its ESPN property and flurry of growth initiatives to meet the demands of the modern-day media consumption trends. In the backdrop, the company continues to dominate the box office year after year with a long pipeline of blockbusters in the queue. Additionally, its Parks and Resorts continue to be a growth avenue with tremendous pricing power albeit the coronavirus will damper its Shanghai and Hong Kong operations. Disney is going all-in on the streaming front and acquired full ownership of Hulu and the company is launched its Disney branded streaming service. Disney Plus launched on November 12th with all of its content (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney and Pixar) which will be a formidable competitor in the ever-expanding streaming wars both domestically and internationally. As a result of its strong Q1 numbers, Disney has hit near all-time highs of ~$150 per share. I’ve been behind Disney for a long time, especially through this transition back to growth when the stock traded below $100 and I still feel that the company offers a compelling long-term investment opportunity given its growth catalysts that will continue to bear fruit over the coming years.

Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus and Q4 Earnings

Disney’s Q1 earnings easily beat analysts’ expectations with strong gains in its streaming platforms such as ESPN Plus, Hulu and Disney Plus. Disney beat on both the top-line revenue and bottom-line profit. EPS came in at $1.53, beating by $0.09 per share and revenue came in at $20.86 billion, beating by $50 million. Revenue grew by 36% year-over-year and for the fiscal year.
Disney Plus subscribers came in at 26.5 million, well ahead of expectations that were ~20 million. ESPN Plus subscribers came in at 6.6 million and Hulu subscribers came in at 30.4 million. Hulu saw a 33% year-over-year growth in subscribers.

Disney’s business across the board came in strong, posting growth in every category. Continue reading "Disney Delivers 26.5M Disney+ Subscribers" →

Baby Yoda and Phase One Trade Deal Propels Hasbro

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Baby Yoda and the phase one trade deal comes to Hasbro’s (HAS) recuse after a disastrous Q3 earnings call that resulted in the stock sinking 17%. Per Brian Goldner, “the threat and enactment of tariffs reduced revenues in the third quarter and increased expenses to deliver product to retail.” I feel that management was remiss when they forecasted their ability to circumvent the tariffs and then used the tariffs as a scapegoat to justify the company missing its numbers on both top-line revenue and bottom-line profit. Now the backdrop has changed in Hasbro’s favor with the phase one trade deal with China being reached and of course, the new internet sensation Baby Yoda.

The company is in a solid position moving into the holiday season, historically their biggest quarter, with blockbusters and the holidays coming into the fold. Hasbro has its Disney toy licensing deal (Marvel, Star Wars and Disney Princess lines) that should have a strong showing with Frozen 2 and the new Star Wars film with Baby Yoda debuting in Q4. Hasbro Studios (Transformers’ Bumblebee, My Little Pony, Power Rangers), E-Sports (Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering), its legacy games (Monopoly and Nerf) and acquisition of Entertainment One earlier this year places the company in a position of strength. Hasbro has a compelling future across its portfolio with many catalysts in the near and long-term time horizons.

Baby Yoda
Figure 1 – Baby Yoda making his appearance last month in The Mandalorian on Disney+

Phase One Trade Deal

The U.S. and China came to terms on a phase one trade deal, benefiting any company that sources and manufactures its products in China. Hasbro has already migrated some of its supply chain away from China as a risk mitigation strategy due to the trade tensions between the two nations. The phase one trade deal provides Hasbro with supply chain flexibility and additional time to make any necessary adjustments to its business model. The previous quarter Hasbro lost momentum and attempted to attribute this to the tariffs. Now, this tariff headwind has been removed for the time being, allowing Hasbro stock to appreciate on the news. Continue reading "Baby Yoda and Phase One Trade Deal Propels Hasbro" →

Disney's Streaming Growth Driver - ESPN/Disney+/Hulu

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Disney (DIS) just delivered a stellar quarter beating on both the top and bottom lines while continuing to roll out its growth initiatives.

Disney’s growth rotation is still in its early stages with the remediation of its ESPN property and flurry of growth initiatives to meet modern-day media consumption trends via streaming with its Disney+ property. In the backdrop, the company continues to dominate the box office year after year with a long pipeline of blockbusters in the queue, notably Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Additionally, its Parks and Resorts continue to be a growth avenue with tremendous pricing power. Disney is going all-in on the streaming front and will inevitably acquire full ownership of Hulu, and the company is launching its Disney branded streaming service that will compete directly with Netflix (NFLX).

Disney+ launches on November 12th, and Disney is unleashing all of its content (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar), which will be a formidable competitor in the ever-expanding streaming wars. As a result of its strong Q4 numbers, Disney has hit near all-time highs of ~$140 per share. I’ve been behind Disney for a long time, especially through this transition back to growth when the stock traded below $100, and I still feel that the company offers a compelling long-term investment opportunity given its growth catalysts that will continue to bear fruit over the coming years.

Disney’s Stellar Q4 Earnings

Disney’s Q4 earnings easily beat analysts’ expectations with substantial gains in its television networks and film studio by way of its Fox acquisition. Disney beat on both the top-line revenue and bottom-line profit. EPS came in at $1.07, beating by $0.10 per share, and revenue came in at $19.1 billion, beating by $80 million. Revenue grew by 34% year-over-year, and for the fiscal year, revenue was up 17% at $69.57 billion.

Disney’s business across the board came in strong, posting growth in every category. Revenue by segment: Media Networks, $6.51 billion (up 22%); Parks, Experiences and Products, $6.7 billion (up 8%); Studio Entertainment, $3.3 billion (up 52%); Direct-to-Consumer and International, $3.4 billion (up 361%). Operating income by segment: Media Networks, $2.14B (up 7%); Parks, Experiences and Products, $1.7B (up 4%); Studio Entertainment, $792M (up 13%); Direct-to-Consumer and International, -$553M. Continue reading "Disney's Streaming Growth Driver - ESPN/Disney+/Hulu" →

Hasbro Sinks 17% - Tariffs Negatively Impact Q3 Results

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

So much for Hasbro (HAS) allegedly having a diverse, flexible format supply chain and migrating its legacy supply chain out of China. Per Brian Goldner, “the threat and enactment of tariffs reduced revenues in the third quarter and increased expenses to deliver product to retail.” Needless to say, the stock sank 17% after reporting its Q3 results. I feel that management was remiss when they forecasted their ability to circumvent the tariffs and then used the tariffs as a scapegoat to justify the company missing its numbers on both top-line revenue and bottom-line profit.

With that being said, the company is in a solid-state moving into the holiday season, historically their biggest quarter, with blockbusters and the holidays coming into fold. Hasbro has its Disney toy licensing deal (Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney Princess lines) that should have a strong showing with Frozen 2 and the new Star Wars film debuting in Q4. Hasbro Studios (Transformers’ Bumblebee, My Little Pony, Power Rangers), E-Sports (Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering), it's legacy games (Monopoly and Nerf) and acquisition of Entertainment One earlier this year places the company in a position of strength. Hasbro is fully committed to returning value to shareholders via a combination of share buybacks and dividend payouts. Hasbro has a compelling future across its portfolio with many catalysts in the near and long-term time horizons. The Toys 'R' Us fallout is now in the rearview while the company continues to layer-in growth initiatives.

Q3 2019 Earnings – Disappointing

Hasbro missed on both EPS and revenue coming in at $1.84 (missing by $0.36) and $1.58 billion (missing by $130 million), respectively. The previous two-quarters Hasbro beat estimates handily, and the stock broke through the $120 per share threshold as a result. This quarter, the company lost momentum and is attempting to attribute this to the tariffs.

“Hasbro remains on track to deliver profitable revenue growth in 2019, behind innovation in gaming, toys, and around Hasbro's Brand Blueprint. However, as we've communicated, the threat and enactment of tariffs reduced revenues in the third quarter and increased expenses to deliver product to retail," said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman and chief executive officer. "The team drove continued growth in the Wizards of the Coast gaming brands, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and delivered significant new holiday initiatives. To start the fourth quarter, we are seeing a strong consumer response to the global launch of Hasbro's line for Disney's Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well as the U.S. launch of the new NERF Ultra." Continue reading "Hasbro Sinks 17% - Tariffs Negatively Impact Q3 Results" →

Disney: Premature Overzealous Sentiment

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Disney (DIS) ran too far, too fast prior to its recent earnings announcement that fell short of investors' overzealous expectations this early in the company's transformation. Disney's growth rotation is still in its early stages with the remediation of its ESPN property and flurry of growth initiatives to meet modern-day media consumption trends via streaming. In the backdrop, the company continues to dominate the box office year after year with a long pipeline of blockbusters in the queue. Additionally, its Parks and Resorts continue to be a growth avenue with tremendous pricing power. Disney is going all-in on the streaming front and will inevitably acquire full ownership of Hulu, and the company is launching its Disney branded streaming service that will compete directly with Netflix. I've been behind Disney for a long time, especially through this transition back to growth when the stock traded below $100 and I still feel that the company offers a compelling long-term investment opportunity given its growth catalysts that will continue to bear fruit over the coming years.

Disney's Q3 Earnings Fell Short

Disney's Q3 earnings fell short of analysts' expectations, which have become overzealous as of late with all of the company's initiatives resonating with investors and analysts alike. Disney missed on both the top-line revenue and bottom-line profit. EPS came in at $1.35, missing by $0.39 per share and revenue came in at $20.24 billion, missing by $1.16 billion. Disney's business across the board came in strong, posting growth in every category. Revenue by segment: Media Networks, $6.71B (up 21%); Parks, Experiences and Products, $6.6% (up 7%); Studio Entertainment, $3.84B (up 33%); Direct-to-Consumer and International, $3.86B (up from $827M). Operating income by segment: Media Networks, $2.14B (up 7%); Parks, Experiences and Products, $1.7B (up 4%); Studio Entertainment, $792M (up 13%); Direct-to-Consumer and International, -$553M.

"Our third-quarter results reflect our efforts to effectively integrate the 21st Century Fox assets to enhance and advance our strategic transformation". "I'd like to congratulate The Walt Disney Studios for reaching $8 billion at the global box office so far this year--a new industry record--thanks to the stellar performance of our Marvel, Pixar and Disney films. The incredible popularity of Disney's brands and franchises positions us well as we launch Disney+, and the addition of original and library content from Fox will only further strengthen our direct-to-consumer offerings."
- Bob Iger, CEO of Disney

Expectations were too high at this point in Disney's business transformation, and the realization of these financial benefits will require patience. Continue reading "Disney: Premature Overzealous Sentiment" →