Mattel
Mattel's revenue fell 0.6% to $5.3 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 10.2%, down from 12.9% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $483 million, down 27.5%. It paid out $600 million in dividends and buybacks, 124% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 6.3%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
What Mattel does
Mattel designs, makes and sells toys and games. Its own brands include Barbie, American Girl, Monster High, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, MEGA, UNO and Masters of the Universe, and it makes toys under license for other companies' brands such as Disney Princess, Frozen, Toy Story, Cars, Jurassic World, Minecraft and WWE. It also earns money from films, TV shows, mobile games and licensing its brands to other companies.
Mattel reports two segments: North America, covering the United States and Canada, and International, which sells mostly the same products in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Its net sales were $5.35 billion in 2025. It sells mainly to retailers, and its three largest customers, Walmart, Target and Amazon, made up about 42% of net sales. Sales are concentrated in the holiday season. Mattel names Hasbro, LEGO, The Pokémon Company and Spin Master as competitors, along with video game and electronics companies that compete for families' time and money.
Mattel had about 31,000 employees, including temporary and seasonal workers, in 34 countries at the end of 2025, about 22,000 of them in manufacturing. It makes toys in its own factories and through outside manufacturers, mainly in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Mexico.
Its biggest risks, as it describes them
- Heavy competition and easy entry for new rivals make it hard to keep its brands and toys selling.
- Misjudging trends in popular culture, media and technology, or how much of each toy to make.
- Its dependence on the short holiday season, when any disruption can hurt the whole year.
- Its reliance on a few large retailers, which can cut orders or sell their own store-brand toys instead.
- Tariffs, trade disputes and higher costs for materials, shipping and labor at the factories that make its toys.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 3.5% a year and net income 2.7% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 7%.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value Mattel yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Mattel's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Mattel's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $483M, net cash of −$1.1B at December 31, 2025 and 322 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Mattel: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, -0.5% a year, kept between 0% and 20%; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 13%: 11% for a cyclical or higher-risk business (Leisure Products), plus 1 point as a smaller company, worth $4.6B, plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $15.82
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Mattel's earnings per share of $1.36 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 17.8×, the middle of Mattel's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Consumer Discretionary median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 14%, 13% and 12%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $15.82
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- Mattel's P/E at the last close
- 11.6×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| HasbroHAS | $117.96 | $5.59 | 21.1× |
| Thor IndustriesTHO | $70.17 | $3.38 | 20.8× |
| MattelMAT | $15.82 | $1.36 | 11.6× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 731 | 761 | 1,261 | 1,388 | 1,243 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 2,571 | 2,326 | 2,330 | 2,334 | 2,332 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | 1,840 | 1,564 | 1,069 | 946 | 1,089 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 2.0x | 1.8x | 1.4x | 1.1x | 1.5x |
| Debt to equity | 1.6x | 1.1x | 1.1x | 1.0x | 1.0x |
| Interest coverage | 2.9x | 5.1x | 4.5x | 5.8x | 4.6x |
| Current ratio | 1.8x | 2.3x | 2.3x | 2.4x | 2.1x |
| Quick ratio | 1.3x | 1.5x | 1.9x | 2.0x | 1.8x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 1 insider bought $1.0 million of Mattel shares on the open market, and 1 insider sold $587,027.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | Zanatta Roberto Jacobo IsaiasEVP & Chief Supply Chain Offr | Sold | 39,083 | $15.02 | $587,027 | Form 4 |
| Feb 12, 2026 | Ynon KreizChairman & CEO, Director | Bought | 65,000 | $15.53 | $1.0 million | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Fail | Pass | Fail |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Current ratio rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Gross margin rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Pass | Fail | Fail |
| F-score | 8 of 9 | 8 of 9 | 5 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −10.4% | −4.0% | −3.0% |
Compare
Put Mattel side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattel | FY25 | −0.6% | 10.2% | 9.0% | 13.5% | 1.5x | 5 | |
| Brunswick | FY25 | 2.4% | −0.8% | 7.4% | −0.8% | 8.5x | 4 | Compare |
| Hasbro | FY25 | 13.1% | 0.2% | 15.5% | 0.2% | 17.0x | 5 | Compare |
| Polaris | FY25 | −0.3% | −4.9% | 7.8% | −10.5% | — | 3 | Compare |
| Thor Industries | FY26 | 0.3% | — | 1.8% | 4.4% | 0.8x | 6 | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 5,453 | 4,882 | 4,515 | 4,505 | 4,588 | 5,458 | 5,435 | 5,441 | 5,380 | 5,348 |
| Revenue growth | −4.4% | −10.5% | −7.5% | −0.2% | 1.9% | 18.9% | −0.4% | 0.1% | −1.1% | −0.6% |
| Gross profit | 2,547 | 1,825 | 1,799 | 1,977 | 2,243 | 2,627 | 2,481 | 2,584 | 2,734 | 2,606 |
| Research and development | 215 | 225 | 205 | 197 | 190 | 189 | 196 | 199 | 194 | 227 |
| Operating income | 520 | −336 | −234 | 37 | 375 | 730 | 676 | 562 | 694 | 546 |
| Net income | 313 | −1,055 | −533 | −219 | 124 | 903 | 394 | 214 | 542 | 398 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 0.91 | −3.07 | −1.55 | −0.63 | 0.35 | 2.53 | 1.10 | 0.60 | 1.58 | 1.24 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 344 | 344 | 345 | 346 | 349 | 357 | 360 | 357 | 343 | 322 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 594 | −28 | −27 | 168 | 286 | 486 | 443 | 870 | 801 | 593 |
| Capital expenditure | 140 | 129 | 75 | 51 | 59 | 77 | 106 | 86 | 135 | 111 |
| Free cash flow | 454 | −157 | −102 | 118 | 226 | 408 | 337 | 784 | 665 | 483 |
| Dividends paid | 518 | 312 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share buybacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 400 | 600 |
| Acquisitions | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-based compensation | 54 | 67 | 49 | 56 | 60 | 60 | 69 | 83 | 79 | 80 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 870 | 1,079 | 594 | 630 | 762 | 731 | 761 | 1,261 | 1,388 | 1,243 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 2,326 | 3,123 | 2,856 | 2,847 | 2,856 | 2,571 | 2,326 | 2,330 | 2,334 | 2,332 |
| Total assets | 6,494 | 6,228 | 5,238 | 5,325 | 5,535 | 6,394 | 6,178 | 6,436 | 6,544 | 6,640 |
| Total liabilities | 4,086 | 4,971 | 4,549 | 4,817 | 4,925 | 4,825 | 4,121 | 4,287 | 4,280 | 4,407 |
| Shareholders' equity | 2,408 | 1,257 | 689 | 509 | 610 | 1,569 | 2,056 | 2,149 | 2,264 | 2,233 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 46.7% | 37.4% | 39.8% | 43.9% | 48.9% | 48.1% | 45.7% | 47.5% | 50.8% | 48.7% |
| Operating margin | 9.5% | −6.9% | −5.2% | 0.8% | 8.2% | 13.4% | 12.4% | 10.3% | 12.9% | 10.2% |
| Net margin | 5.7% | −21.6% | −11.8% | −4.9% | 2.7% | 16.6% | 7.2% | 3.9% | 10.1% | 7.4% |
| Free cash flow margin | 8.3% | −3.2% | −2.3% | 2.6% | 4.9% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 14.4% | 12.4% | 9.0% |
| Return on capital | 10.5% | −7.4% | −5.9% | 1.0% | 8.7% | 23.9% | 14.0% | 8.2% | 17.9% | 13.5% |
| Return on equity | 12.4% | −57.5% | −54.8% | −36.5% | 22.1% | 82.9% | 21.7% | 10.2% | 24.6% | 17.7% |
| Return on assets | 4.8% | −16.6% | −9.3% | −4.1% | 2.3% | 15.1% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 8.3% | 6.0% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.9x | — | 60.2x | 7.9x | 3.7x | 2.0x | 1.8x | 1.4x | 1.1x | 1.5x |