Marvel Entertainment Inc. (MVL), a character-based entertainment company engaged in the licensing, publishing and film production businesses, recently reported third-quarter 2009 results. The quarterly earnings of 26 cents a share bettered the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 24 cents but fell sharply by 59.4% from 64 cents delivered in the prior-year quarter. Total revenue also tumbled 42.1% year-on-year to $105.7 million. The fall in both the top and bottom lines was due to lower licensing and film production revenues. Licensing revenue slipped 15.8% to $48.9 million, whereas film production revenue dipped 72.5% to $24.8 million. While no films were released in the reported quarter, the year-ago quarter benefited from the releases of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, in addition to its Spider-Man merchandising joint venture. Marvel is slated to release four films ahead: Iron Man 2 in 2010, Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America ...

Walt Disney Company (DIS) has recently won a copyright infringement case running since 1991, relating to the famous animated character ‘Winnie the Pooh.’ In 1930, Stephen Slesinger, a New York television and film producer, acquired the merchandising rights to the Pooh works from author A.A. Milne. Later in 1961, Slesinger transferred the rights to Disney in exchange for a regular royalty. However, the heirs of Slesinger filed a case against Disney, alleging its failure to pay billions in royalties. The case has been dismissed by the court on the grounds that Stephen Slesinger Inc. had transferred all of its rights to Disney, and had no legal rights to claim any compensation for any infringement. In a separate story, Walt Disney could face a copyright battle for Marvel characters, having recently agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment (MVL) in a cash and stock deal worth approximately ...

According to reports, Walt Disney Company (DIS) could face a copyright battle for Marvel characters having recently agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment (MVL) in a cash and stock deal worth  approximately $4 billion.  The children of late artist Jack Kirby, represented by the Los Angeles law firm Toberoff & Associates have served notices related to copyright termination for 45 characters (including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk) created by Jack Kirby, to Walt Disney, Marvel Entertainment, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.  Jack Kirby died in 1994. Sony Pictures owns movie rights to Spider-Man, and 20th Century Fox owns movie rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Paramount Pictures has a film distribution deal for four upcoming films produced by Marvel, and Universal Pictures has distribution rights to Hulk movies.  Kirby’s children seek to get control of the ...

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (MVL) shares rallied after the news of its acquisition by Walt Disney Company (DIS) hit the market. The shares of Marvel jumped to close at $48.37 on August 31, 2009 -- up nearly 25.2% from the previous day’s close. Walt Disney would acquire Marvel for cash and stock for approximately $4 billion. Marvel shareholders would receive in aggregate $30 per share in cash and approximately 0.745 Disney stock for each Marvel stock they own. This amounts to $50 per share, which is 29.4% higher to Marvel's closing stock price of $38.65 on August 28, and is 36 times the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.38 per share in earnings for fiscal year 2009. The purchase of Marvel Entertainment is to be Disney's largest acquisition since 2006, when it had purchased Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion. The deal is expected to close by ...

 

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - May 4, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes Walt Disney Company (DIS), Activision Blizzard (ATVI), California Pizza Kitchen (CPKI), Goldcorp (GG) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes 4 stock picks available, free of charge. To see them, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=3567.

The Week's Events

Another busy week.

Results from the bank stress tests are penciled for Thursday. The release date was pushed back after several banks objected to the initial findings. It's not just the results that will matter, but also how much validity the financial markets give them.

On the earnings front, about 850 companies are confirmed to report, including 86 members of the S&P 500. Dow components Kraft

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