Jakks Pacific reports Q4 EPS ($1.04) vs. ($1.42) last year

Reports 4Q revenue $127.4M , consensus $128.72M. Gross margin of 31.4% compared to 26.5% last year…”For the third consecutive year we have met or exceeded our key financial full-year targets,” said Stephen Berman, CEO of JAKKS Pacific. “The year began with the challenge of revenue comparisons with a 2022 hit-driven blockbuster product line, but we also saw opportunities for gross margin improvements with a normalized supply chain. Gross and operating margins improved year-over-year despite a $80+ million decline in Net Sales, generating over $66 million in operating cash flow for the year. “The holiday toy season came late this year, but we were pleased with the results. Two of our top three US Toys/Consumer Products customers achieved positive year-over-year retail sales results in Q4 despite challenging comparisons from the prior year. Our aggregate end-of-year inventory at retail at those three accounts is also down by a high single digit percentage compared to last year. Although customers are tentatively moving into the new year, we believe our core businesses remain on solid footing.”