Hasbro, the nation’s second largest toymaker, reported lower quarterly earnings than analysts predicted as sales in its "Games" and "Preschool" categories declined for the second straight quarter.  Sales of Boys’ toys were up 32%, and Girls’ toys continued a strong 2014 performance with a 10% year-over-year quarterly increase, but the “Games” category was down 12% versus Q2 2013 after dropping 4% in Q1 (see "'MLP,' Girls Toys Give Hasbro Solid Q1").
 
The decline in sales in the "Games" category from $255.4 million in Q2 2013 to $225.7 million in Q2, 2014 was attributed by Hasbro in its press release to smaller sales for Duel Masters, Magic: The Gathering, and Twister.  Hasbro does not break out the sales for its individual brands, but the drops in sales of Duel Masters, Magic, and Twister more than made up for gains that the toy giant noted in Q2 sales in sales of Monopoly, The Game of Life, and the successful launch of a new game Simon Swipe.
 
Hasbro attributed the robust growth in its Boys category to sales of Transformers and Marvel products (especially Spider-Man), while My Little Pony, My Little Pony Equestria Girls, and Nerf Rebelle continue to drive sales of Hasbro’s Girls’ toys.
 
Hasbro’s second quarter sales were up 8% to $829.3 million, but missed the estimated target of $839 million.  Hasbro’s U.S. and Canadian sales were down 2%, with some analysts attributing slowing game sales to a perception that kids are increasingly shifting to electronic versions of games on various platforms.  Hasbro’s stock, which had risen 14% in 2014 (as of Friday), was down 2.59% at midday on Monday after the 7am release of Q2 earnings.