Investopedia: Disney Buys Lucasfilm, But Is it A Trap?

For many Star Wars fans, the news that came out Tuesday evening read more like something from The Onion or a Halloween prank. The American media megalith Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced that, not only did it reach an agreement to acquire Lucasfilm from George Lucas for about $4.1 billion, but that a new Star Wars movie would be in theaters by 2015, with many more following thereafter. While this deal looks a little riskier than those for Pixar and Marvel, Disney has a habit of monetizing media franchises more successfully than analysts usually predict.

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Investopedia: Another "Good Enough" Quarter For Disney

Media giant Disney (NYSE:DIS) did not have a perfect quarter, but it was good enough to get the job done. Media results were a little noisy, but solid revenue growth in parks and resorts coupled with good profitability in the studio made for a good bottom line result. As is often the case, Disney's stock is not especially cheap, but investors have long been willing to pay up for Disney's dominance and perceived full-cycle consistency.

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Investopedia: With SL Green Realty, Focus Is Clearly Not An Issue

Analysts and investors prize diversity, and that often serves a company well as it reduces the overall risk profile of the company. On the other hand, sometimes the opposite is true - sometimes running an intensely focused and specialized operation can provide above-average returns by virtue of truly understanding that market and its risks. Investors considering SL Green Realty (NYSE:SLG) pretty much have to subscribe to that second point of view to find an attractive investment idea here.

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Seeking Alpha: Disney Winning The Rat Race

Disney (DIS) is one of those remarkable companies that seems to have an uncanny knack for figuring out what its customers want and then giving them even more of it. Sounds simple, I know, but not many companies have wracked up lifetime gains of nearly 47,000%. That said, Disney is a surprisingly volatile stock and brand value alone won't save investors who buy at the wrong times - investors who bought in 14 years ago are sitting on just 19% gains (excluding dividends) and looking up longingly at the S&P 500's returns over that time period.

With that in mind, Disney's solid performance in Q1 and strong stock may be a sign that new investors should cool their heels a bit before taking the plunge with new money.

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Disney Winning The Rat Race

Investopedia: Corruption And Scandal Don't Make News Corp A Bargain

One of the golden rules of dealing with the media is to "control the message". Given the increasing furor over the conduct of News Corp (NYSE:NWS) in a phone-hacking scandal in the U.K. and the calls for the company to be prosecuted (or at least investigated) under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, News Corp is clearly failing in that regard. While some investors may be attracted to the stock given its declines in the wake of the scandal and the theory that it is too big to fail, caution may be the better part of valor today. (For a couple of strategies to over come this scandal, read Crisis Management Strategies For Business Owners.)

An Ugly Action Kills a Paper  
Even by the iffy standards of British tabloid journalism, News Corp's News of the World always walked a gray line when it came to scandal and controversy. Going a step way too far, though, several of the paper's employees have been accused of hacking into private citizen's phones and intercepting voice mails, including those of the families of dead soldiers and those who lost family members in the 2005 terrorist bombings. 


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Investopedia: Is Habro A Proto-Disney?

Game and toy maker Hasbro (Nasdaq:HAS) is coming off of what largely looks like a lost decade. Through 2010, the company saw compound revenue growth of less than 4% and negative growth in free cash flow. Keep in mind that period includes the regular production of new customers (children), several acquisitions and the launch of toy-centric movies like the latest round of "Star Wars". 

That said, Hasbro seems to be getting its act together. The toy and game business is looking a little better, and the company's efforts in media (TV and film) could pay off in the long run. Still, toys and children's entertainment is a fiercely competitive business and there is no telling whether Hasbro will draw little kiddies' interest - and their parents' money - over the likes of Mattel (Nasdaq:MAT), Disney (NYSE:DIS) and other competitors. (For more on Hasbro, check out Despite Down Quarter, Hasbro Plays Well.)

A Mixed Quarter With Some Questions 

Hasbro offered up a mixed bag of results for the first quarter, which was reported April 14. Revenue was not bad, and performance was basically the same as last year, although it snuck above the average estimate. Interestingly, there was a fairly wide range of estimates going into this quarter and that often correlates with above-average volatility.

Still, there are some questions in that top-line result. Games/puzzles, along with toys for girls and preschoolers, were all down by double-digit percentages; meanwhile, tous for boys were up 25%. That suggests that Hasbro loaded the channel this quarter - perhaps banking on upcoming movie tie-ins to "Transformers", "Thor and "Captain America". If these movies perform well at the box office and there's good sell-through, that's fine ... but if the movies (or toys) falter, that could sour the whole year for Hasbro.

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