Nov 13, 2017

Hasbro has offered to acquire Mattel

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

The 2016 Barbie Fashionistas line is displayed at the New York Fair, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Photo: Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Mattel

Hasbro (Nasdaq: HAS) has offered to acquire rival toy-maker Mattel (Nasdaq: MAT), as first reported by the WSJ. Mattel closed Friday trading with a market cap just north of $5 billion, but its shares spiked around 25% in aftermarket trading.

This would be a merger of the country's two largest toy-makers. Plus, it may cause major jealousy issues for Ken, as Barbie and GI Joe would be living under the same corporate roof.

Bottom line: These are two companies moving in opposite directions, as Hasbro shares are up around 13% this year while Mattel was off 47% before news of a possible sale. One differentiator for Pawtucket, R.I.-based Hasbro has been its strategy of buying toy rights to popular entertainment franchises like Star Wars.

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