Bandai Namco H1 profit jumps 27% on toys, digital strength; hikes guidance

Bandai Namco Holdings Inc, the world's second-largest toymaker, reported a significant increase in its operating profit for the first half of its fiscal year, with a 27.3% year-on-year growth to 134.32 billion yen. This surge surpassed the company's own projections of 124.0 billion yen. The company's net sales also increased by 13.1% to 728.47 billion yen, primarily driven by strong performances across its toys and hobby, digital, music, and amusement divisions.

Among these divisions, Bandai's toys and hobby segment recorded a near 30% jump in sales, fueled by the ongoing popularity of its top franchises such as Dragon Ball, Gundam, and One Piece. Sales from both overseas and domestic markets grew, with Japanese and North American sales rising by 13.8% and 21.6%, respectively. The company has also upped its guidance for the year, now projecting net sales of 1.48 trillion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2027, up from the earlier forecast of 1.35 trillion yen.

Operating profit is anticipated at 226.0 billion yen, a rise from the previous estimate of 185.0 billion yen, while profit attributable is expected to be 162.0 billion yen, up from 130.0 billion yen.