(Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (O:HAS) reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit, helped by strong demand for Disney Princess, Frozen and Trolls dolls.
The No. 2 U.S. toymaker's shares rose about 3.4 percent to $78.75 in premarket trading on Monday.
Net revenue in toys targeted at girls - Hasbro's second-largest business - jumped 56.7 percent in the third quarter ended Sept. 25, driven by a rise in shipments of Disney Princess, Frozen and Dreamworks' Trolls dolls as well as growth in Baby Alive and Furby toys.
Trolls dolls hit shelves in August, ahead of a Nov. 4 release of the DreamWorks
Rival toymaker Mattel Inc (O:MAT) lost the lucrative contract for dolls based on Walt Disney Co's (N:DIS) princesses such as Cinderella and Snow White to Hasbro in 2014.
Net income attributable to Hasbro rose to $257.8 million (212 million pounds), or $2.03 per share from $207.6 million, or $1.64 per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected $1.74 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based company's revenue rose 14.2 percent to $1.68 billion, handily beating the average analyst estimate of $1.56 billion.