JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK) reported Q3 EPS of $0.76, $0.32 better than the analyst estimate of $0.44. Revenue for the quarter came in at $280.1 million versus the consensus estimate of $272.5 million.

Third Quarter 2019 Overview vs. Same Period Last Year

• Net sales for the third quarter were $280.1 million, up 18% compared to $236.7 million reported in the comparable period in 2018. Sales in the 2019 third quarter were boosted by strong initial sales of Disney Frozen 2 products.
• Gross margin was 28.9%, up from 27.2% in Q3 of last year.
• Net income attributable to JAKKS Pacific was $16.4 million, or $0.51 per diluted share. This compares to $15.7 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, reported in the third quarter of 2018.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $44.1 million, an increase of 64% over the $27.0 million reported in the third quarter of 2018.

JAKKS Chairman and CEO Stephen Berman stated, “We are pleased to report solid results across several financial metrics in the third quarter, as strong sales of Disney Frozen 2, Disguise® and Nintendo® more than offset the declines of some older products. Our net sales grew 18% in the quarter, the strongest quarterly growth in year-over-year sales we have seen in nearly five years, led by online sales of our products, which were up 32% compared to last year. More importantly, we were able to improve gross margins and tightly managed expenses, resulting in a 64% year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA.

“We expect to close out the year on a strong note, and carry momentum into 2020. We remain committed to containing costs and managing our balance sheet prudently. We expect good performances over the holiday season from Frozen 2, Nintendo, Disney Princess and X-Power DozerTM.”

JAKKS also announced today that Chief Financial Officer Brent T. Novak will leave the Company in December 2019 to pursue other opportunities. The Company is currently conducting a search for its next CFO. Mr. Berman said, “Brent has been a valued member of the JAKKS team since joining the company in April 2018. We wish him well in his future endeavors.” Mr. Novak said, “I appreciated the opportunity to work with Stephen and the JAKKS team, and assisting in the completion of the Recapitalization transaction in August 2019.”

2019 Outlook

Our goal for 2019 is to grow sales by approximately 5% on a year-over-year basis with improved levels of Adjusted EBITDA compared to 2018.

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