Image source: Getty Images.
Stocks failed to make headway in either direction on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) rose slightly and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) ticked lower. Both indexes changed less than 0.25% over the trading session despite a flood of fresh corporate earnings results.
Today's stock market:
| Index | Percentage change | Point change |
|---|---|---|
| Dow | 0.16% | 32.40 |
| S&P 500 | (0.07%) | (1.69) |
Data source: Yahoo Finance.
Financial stocks attracted heavy trading, but only ticked higher as a group, which sent the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLF) up by less than 1%. Meanwhile, a drop in gold prices pushed Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 3X ETF (NYSEMKT: NUGT) lower by 8%.
Dozens of companies posted updates on their operating trends as earnings season hit high gear. Two of the biggest movers on Thursday were Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT) and Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) .
Mattel's weak holiday season
Mattel shares dove 18% after its fourth-quarter results revealed a surprisingly weak holiday period for toy sales . Revenue declined 8% overall as the company continued to feel the pain from its lost Disney Princess deal. Several of its core franchises struggled as well, with Barbie sales falling 2%. Executives blamed a "significant U.S. toy category slowdown in the holiday period" for the poor results .
Image source: Getty Images.
Rising interest expenses took a bite out of that figure, but Royal Caribbean still generated $261 million of net income, which translated into $1.22 per share of earnings, up 28% from the prior year. "Bookings are at record levels, the preference our brands enjoy has never been stronger, costs have been well managed, and our guests' satisfaction has never been better," CEO Richard Fain said in a press release .
Fain and his team believe the cruise ship operator is well positioned to meet their aggressive goal of doubling 2014 adjusted earnings in fiscal 2017 while improving return on invested capital to at least 10% (from 6% in 2014). Their official outlook reflected that optimism, as Royal Caribbean sees net yields accelerating to a 4.3% pace from 3.9% last year. With demand looking strong and vacation package prices rising, executives are targeting adjusted earnings of $7 per share, up from $6.08 per share in 2016.
10 stocks we like better than Royal Caribbean
When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.*
David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Royal Caribbean wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
Click here to learn about these picks!
*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017
Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
