Marvel (MVL) is doing very well today thanks to the success of the DVD release of Iron Man. For the fourth quarter, the company earned 80 cents a share which was a huge jump from the 35 cents a share it made last year. The consensus on Wall Street was for 71 cents a share, and sales doubled to $224 million.
After the Dark Knight, Iron Man was the second-most successful movie of 2008. I was happy to see Marvel sign a deal with Hasbro (HAS) to make toys based off their characters. Marvel also reaffirmed its guidance for this year which is EPS coming in between $1 and $1.35, and sales between $415 million and $460 million.
Best of all, Marvel is hoping to have another blockbuster coming on May 1. That’s when X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Oscar-host Hugh Jackman opens.
The stock is currently up 14% today.