Walmart and Target hold back holiday toy orders, hitting Mattel earnings

Core Insights - Mattel's third-quarter results indicate a decline in sales and margins, with rising inventories as the company approaches the holiday season [1][3][5] Sales Performance - Net sales for Mattel reached $1.74 billion, reflecting a 6% decrease compared to the previous year [3] - Adjusted gross margins fell by nearly 3 percentage points to 50.2%, slightly above the company's target of 50%+ [3] - Adjusted operating income decreased by over $100 million, and earnings per share dropped by 22% [3] Category Performance - Hot Wheels sales increased by 6%, and action figures rose by 9%, driven by franchises like Minecraft and Masters of the Universe [4] - However, sales of dolls, Mattel's largest category, declined by 12%, with Barbie experiencing a significant drop [4] - Fisher-Price and preschool lines saw a substantial decline of 26% [4] Retailer Ordering Patterns - CEO Ynon Kreiz attributed the sales drop to "industry-wide shifts in retailer ordering patterns," indicating that major retailers like Walmart and Target are ordering more cautiously and later than usual [5] - Retailers are delaying large orders from factories, which impacts Mattel's third-quarter sales [5] Inventory and Revenue Impact - The cautious ordering pattern has resulted in Mattel carrying $827 million in inventory, an increase from $737 million a year ago [6] - This shift pushes revenue into the fourth quarter, creating additional risk for the company [6] Tariff Exposure - Mattel's inventory is significantly sourced from China, which is subject to various tariffs, complicating the company's cost structure [8] - The company plans to raise prices "where necessary" and accelerate manufacturing shifts to other Asian countries to mitigate tariff exposure [8]