Mattel Value Stock - Dividend - Research Selection

Description of the company

Throughout this report “Mattel” refers to Mattel, Inc. and/or one or more of its family of companies. Mattel designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products worldwide which are sold to its customers and directly to consumers. Mattel is a creations company that inspires the wonder of childhood. Mattel’s objectives are to grow its share in the marketplace, continue to improve its operating margins, and create long-term stockholder value. To achieve these objectives, management has established the following strategies:

First, Mattel is focused on embracing brand building, creativity, and innovation, and management will put a premium on speed and personal accountability. Management is focused on putting Mattel back on track for growth and improved profitability.

Additionally, Mattel is organizing around the following five strategic priorities:

•Build powerful brand franchises;

•Establish Toy Box as the partner of choice;

•Develop unmatched commercial excellence;

•Drive continuous cost improvement; and

•Build emerging market leadership.

Mattel believes its products are among the most widely recognized toy products in the world. Mattel’s portfolio of brands and products are grouped into four major brand categories.

Mattel Girls & Boys Brands—including Barbie® fashion dolls and accessories (“Barbie”), Monster High®, Ever After High®, Polly Pocket®, and DC Super Hero Girls™ (collectively “Other Girls”), Hot Wheels® and Matchbox® vehicles and play sets (collectively “Wheels”), and CARS®, DC Comics®, WWE® Wrestling, Minecraft®, Max Steel®, BOOMco.®, Toy Story®, and games and puzzles (collectively “Entertainment”).

Fisher-Price Brands—including Fisher-Price®, Little People®, BabyGear™, Laugh & Learn®, and Imaginext® (collectively “Core Fisher-Price”), Thomas & Friends®, Dora the Explorer®, Mickey Mouse® Clubhouse, and Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates® (collectively “Fisher-Price Friends”), and Power Wheels®.

American Girl Brands—including Truly Me®, Girl of the Year®, BeForever®, Bitty Baby®, and WellieWishers™. American Girl® Brands products are sold directly to consumers via its catalog, website, and proprietary retail stores, as well as sold directly to certain retailers.

Construction and Arts & Crafts Brands—including MEGA BLOKS® and RoseArt®.

Mattel, Inc. was incorporated in California in 1948 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1968. Its executive offices are located at 333 Continental Blvd., El Segundo, California 90245-5012, telephone number (310) 252-2000.

Mattel’s operating segments are separately managed business units, consisting of: (i) North America, which consists of the US and Canada, (ii) International, and (iii) American Girl.  The North America and International segments sell products in the Mattel Girls & Boys Brands, Fisher-Price Brands, and Construction and Arts & Crafts Brands categories, although some products are developed and adapted for particular international markets.

For additional information on Mattel’s segment reporting, including revenues and segment income, see Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations” and Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Segment Information.” For additional information regarding segment assets and geographic areas, see Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Segment Information.” For additional information regarding revenues by brand category, see Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Segment Information.”

For a discussion of the risks inherent in the foreign operations of Mattel, which affect each segment, see Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

The North America segment markets and sells toys in the US and Canada through the Mattel Girls & Boys Brands, Fisher-Price Brands, and Construction and Arts & Crafts Brands categories.

In the Mattel Girls & Boys Brands category, Barbie includes Barbie fashion dolls and accessories. Other Girls includes Monster High, Ever After High, Little Mommy®, and Polly Pocket. Wheels includes Hot Wheels and Matchbox vehicles and play sets. Entertainment includes key licensing partnerships with The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., NBCUniversal Media, LLC, and WWE, as well as owned brands and products, including games and puzzles.

Barbie continues to evolve the “You Can Be Anything”™ campaign by highlighting role models throughout 2017, beginning with Dads in the spring. Technology and connectivity will continue to be infused into new Barbie products for the holiday season and will feature new products to support Barbie's animated content including, Barbie: Video Game Hero™, Barbie Dreamtopia™, and Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures™.

In 2017, Hot Wheels will introduce new track sets, designed cars, and a new digital gaming experience.  The new Hot Wheels Track Builder™ sets will include building bricks in their construction compatible sets. Additionally, Hot Wheels will continue to partner with the best in the automotive and entertainment world, including Star Wars®, DC Comics, and Marvel®.

Mattel’s Toy Box will continue to focus on bringing products to the global marketplace with speed and innovation. Toy Box will continue to partner with leading entertainment companies such as Disney, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Nickelodeon®, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, and WWE. Key product lines based on entertainment franchises for 2017 include Disney Pixar's Cars 3, Warner Bros.'s Justice League® and Wonder Woman®, Nickelodeon's Shimmer & Shine™, and Universal’s Fast & Furious™.

The Fisher-Price Brands category includes Fisher-Price BabyGear, Laugh & Learn, Little People, Think & Learn™, Imaginext, Thomas & Friends, Dora & Friends™, Blaze and The Monster Machines®, Shimmer and Shine, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Minnie Mouse, Octonauts®, and Power Wheels.

In 2017, Fisher-Price will introduce the next phase of the Best Possible Start campaign, with the core message that parental love and play is the best possible start for child development. With the addition of Jonathan Adler as the Creative Director of Fisher-Price brands, existing and new product lines to be launched in 2017 will have a contemporary design catering to millennial parents. Fisher-Price will introduce simple sleep solutions, including the Revolve Swing, which features a natural soothing motion. For infants, Fisher-Price is debuting the new Laugh & Learn First Words line focused on early language development by exposing babies to their first 100 words.  Additionally, the Little People brand will evolve in 2017 by integrating emotional intelligence traits, including sharing, caring, and helping others. The Think & Learn preschool learning line will continue to keep the minds and bodies of preschoolers active with the Think & Learn Smart Cycle® and Teach ‘n Tag Movi™ products. Thomas & Friends will also introduce its first global brand campaign, Set Friendship in Motion™, while releasing the Thomas & Friends Super Station™ playset, designed to work with all Thomas & Friends engines.

The Construction and Arts & Crafts Brands category includes MEGA BLOKS, RoseArt, and Board Dudes®.

In 2017, MEGA BLOKS will continue to expand its line of building sets. With its articulated micro figures, build-to-play features, and authentic details, kids and collectors will be invited to Build Beyond™ with Mega Construx™. New Halo® construction sets will be released leading up to the highly-anticipated launch of the Halo Wars 2 video game. Wellie Wishers from American Girl, Thomas & Friends, Pokémon™, and Shimmer & Shine will be introduced to the MEGA BLOCKS lineup, which includes Despicable Me®, Destiny®, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®. Parents and preschoolers who love to build with the MEGA BLOKS Big Building Bag and Block Scooping Wagon can also add the all-new Elephant Parade to their building basics collection this Fall.

Products marketed by the International segment are generally the same as those developed and marketed by the North America segment, although some are developed or adapted for particular international markets. Mattel’s products are sold directly to retailers and wholesalers in most European, Latin American, and Asian countries, and in Australia and New Zealand, and through agents and distributors in those countries where Mattel has no direct presence.

Mattel’s International segment revenue represented 40% of worldwide consolidated gross sales in 2016.

Source: www.sec.gov