*By Chloe Aiello*
Shares of Walt Disney jumped in after-hours trading after the entertainment giant reported record earnings and revenue for its latest fiscal year.
For the quarter ending Sept. 29, Disney ($DIS) reported earnings per share of $1.48 on revenue of $14.31 billion, beating the $1.34 earnings per share on $13.73 billion in revenue analysts were expecting.
Revenue from its Parks and Resorts division rose 9 percent from a year ago to $5.1 billion. Its studio entertainment revenue grew 50 percent to $2.15 billion, helped by strong showings from films like "Incredibles 2," "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
Revenue from its all-important media networks rose 9 percent to nearly $6 billion beating Street expectations, though growth at cable networks like ESPN was up just 5 percent.
The results come as Disney tests the waters for over-the-top offerings to combat cord-cutters turning away from cable. The company launched its ESPN+ streaming option in April and, on its conference call, said the service now has over a million users. It also plans to launch its broader Disney+ service in the U.S. late next year.
Disney hopes its recent purchase of 21st Century Fox ($FOXA) will help supplement its offerings, both for its traditional and OTT offerings. The $71 billion deal got approval from EU regulators this week, as long as Disney sells some of its European TV assets.
“We remain focused on the successful completion and integration of our 21st Century Fox acquisition and the further development of our direct-to-consumer business, including the highly anticipated launch of our Disney-branded streaming service late next year," Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.
Darden, the parent company of chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, beat Wall Street estimates in its latest earnings report.
A former Facebook executive pled guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company while she was employed there.
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
Intel is out with a new product to challenge other big players in the space like Nvidia and AMD.
Stocks fell after the opening bell Friday but will end on another positive week.
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Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
Mortgage rates have dropped below 7% for the first time since the middle of August.
