Disney profit jumps 30% on growth at ESPN, parks

CHICAGO (MarketWatch)
Walt Disney Co. said Thursday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 30% on increased advertising sales and fees paid by cable operators at ESPN and greater attendance at the company's theme parks.
The Burbank, Calif.-based entertainment conglomerate said it earned $1.09 billion, or 58 cents a share, on sales of $10.4 billion in the latest three months, compared with a profit of $835 million, or 45 cents a share, in the year-ago period, on revenue of $9.74 billion.
Excluding items, Disney would have earned 59 cents a share in the latest quarter.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting a profit of 54 cents a share on revenue of $10.36 billion.