Disney 4Q Profit, Revenue Climbs

By GARY GENTILE

LOS ANGELES – Net profit rose 12 percent at The Walt Disney Co. in the fourth quarter, led by growth at its ESPN cable channel, more visitors at theme parks, and increased sales of consumer products, the media conglomerate reported Thursday.

Disney reported net income of $877 million, or 44 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 29, compared with $782 million, or 36 cents per share.

Revenue grew to $8.93 billion from $8.65 billion in the same period last year.

Analysts at Thomson Financial had anticipated earnings of 41 cents per share on revenue of $8.98 billion.

"We’ve delivered another year of outstanding financial results, powered by across-the-board creative strength," Robert Iger, Disney’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The only lagger in the quarter was Disney’s film studio, which saw a 21 percent decrease in operating profit and a 24 percent drop in revenue.

The studio suffered from unfavorable comparisons with last year’s fourth quarter, which included revenue from "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest."