We’re pleased to present the fifth entry in The Twelve Stocks of Christmas, a focus on 12 holiday-related stocks that you can invest in right now. While these stocks are available to purchase year-round by anyone, they’re currently receiving more attention due to their products’ popularity during the holiday season.
Mattel is the biggest toy company in the world. If you played with toys as a kid, you most certainly played with Mattel action figures, dolls, and toy cars. The El Segundo-based company makes over $6 billion a year in revenue alone, more than direct competitors Hasbro and The Lego Company.
While Mattel makes toys based on other company’s brands (like WWE and DC Comics), most of their sales come from their successful in-house properties. The company’s Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars are the best-known toy car brands, and their Barbie dolls are one of the most popular toys in existence.
Mattel’s stock is also quite popular with investors, especially during the holidays. After all, the company’s toys are bound to be under millions of Christmas trees next week, so they’re in the position to make a whole lot of money.
But is that reason enough to buy Mattel stock? Let’s take a look.
Mattel began as Mattel Creations in 1945, a picture frame company.
After a couple of years, the company started to sell toys. Eventually, they went public in the early ’60s, and at one point purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (yes, the circus.)
Mattel bought the rights to the Barbie doll in 1964, and they sold over a billion of them since.
Barbies aren’t just an American toy. The female-oriented doll brand is a hot item in many foreign countries, too.
They also built and acquired brands including American Girl dolls, He-Man figures, and Fisher Price toys.
Fisher Price is especially popular with toddlers and younger children, while American Girls is a hit with young girls. The company also bought Mega Brands, makers of Lego-competitor Mega Bloks. The company owns dozens of popular toy brands, including newer properties like Monster High and Ever After High.
Mattel’s stock is slightly up since the beginning of the year, though investors are mixed about the company’s future.
Some investors believe that the company’s holiday sales are going to help their earnings (and thus their stock) tremendously, while other investors aren’t as confident.
Should you invest in Mattel? While the company doesn’t have the most popular toy of the season — that title would belong to Hatchimals — they still make some of the most popular holiday mainstays. If you think the company’s status as the toymaker will help their stock during this quarter, then be sure to research their financial statements before you invest. If you want to invest in a stock that does not rely heavily on end-of-year sales, you might want to put your money elsewhere.
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