I’ll Take Mickey Mouse Over Bugs Bunny

Despite being stalled for most of the last year, Disney (DIS) has generally trended up over the past three years, rising from the upper teens to the mid-$20s. Guess what? DIS is set to complete its fourth straight year of double-digit EBITDA growth. By contrast, Time Warner (TWX) is struggling to stay in the upper […]

Disney Comes Through

Disney (DIS) reported better than expected earnings with EPS coing in at 35 cents against analyst estimates taht averaged 30 cents. Estimates will go up across the board with FY06 ending September heading toward $1.45-$1.50 from $1.41 presently. Furthermore, management spoke confidently about 2Q06 (the current quarter) and reiterated expectations for a strong back half […]

Disney Earnings Preview: Last Slow Quarter Before Growth Accelerates

Disney (DIS) reports after the close on Monday. Due to timing issues and a tough comparison in home video, the quarter is expected to show a year-over-year decline in EPS and EBITDA. However, DIS is still poised for strong growth in its FY06 ending this coming September. I believe the back-end loaded year is well […]

Thoughts on the Disney-Pixar Merger

It is hard to add value on the Disney-Pixar transaction. I received a dozen virtually identical analyst reports and CNBC was basically DisneyPixarVision for two days. I do want to highlight notes by Rich Bilotti of Morgan Stanley and Dave Miller of Sanders Morris Harris. It is not really anybody’s fault that the notes were […]

Disney to Buy Pixar?

After seeing the lead article in this morning’s Wall Street JournaI, I quickly reviewed several research reports from the past month which discussed the potential acquisition of Pixar by Disney. In an all stock transaction, as speculated today in the Wall Street Journal, analysts expect EPS dilution of around 10% for DIS at a price […]

Weekend Box Office Report: Good For Disney and Lions Gate

The holiday weekend box office did nothing to stop the skeptics worries about faltering ticket sales as total receipts were down 16% from the same weekend a year ago, although vs. 2004 the receipts were up 6%. Despite the lackluster overall results, the news was good for Disney (DIS) and Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF)….

Chronicles of Narnia Performing Very Well for Disney

With the kids out of school and lots of folks on vacation, everyday is a Saturday for the box office, and Disney (DIS) looks like a big winner as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is established at the top of the charts bringing in around $9 million a day. […]

Disney’s Movie Studio Suddenly Looking Good

The only presentation I heard from Disney (DIS) at last week’s UBS Media Conference came from George Bodenheimer, who heads up ESPN. The story at ESPN is excellent with double digit average growth in operating income through 2009 as most costs and affiliate fees are locked in. Recently, ESPN has been a bright spot while […]

Follow-Up Data Points From Disney Conference Call

After reading through analyst commentary on Disney (DIS) this morning I wanted to provide a few additional data points that were not included in my earnings summary. These points do not change my conclusion that the quarter was slightly worse than expected and the outlook for share gains in the next few months is worse […]

Disney Reports Mixed Quarterly Earnings

Disney (DIS) reported mixed 4Q05 results, slightly worse than analyst estimates on a segment basis. Analysts didn’t seem too concerned about the quarter on the conference call, however, as there were very few questions about the details. Rather the focus was on long-term issues and the forecast for 2006. I think the questions on long-term […]