Hasbro Q4 EPS Better Than Expected but Revenues Hurt by Strong Dollar

Hasbro, the second biggest toymaker in the US, reported better than expected Q4 results today of 1.34 a-share. But the impact of the stronger dollar offset big gains in revenue in Hasbro’s boys division. Hasbro revenues rose slightly to $1.3 billion dollars. Hasbro also boosted its quarterly dividend by 7% and authorized an additional $500 million in share repurchases. With the rise of multimedia entertainment and licensing tie-ins, the stakes have gotten much larger for Hasbro, Mattel, and their competitors in fighting for the most popular new franchise-linked toy lines. Hasbro has won the license to make dolls around Walt Disney’s Princess and Frozen lines starting in 2016. Unlike Mattel, whose earnings have been gloomy, Hasbro’s earnings per share have been roughly flat in recent years.