It appears that the real world took notice of Hasbro’s deal with Marvel as well as geek culture. The Marvel contract alone has prompted Wall Street gurus to upgrade Hasbro’s stock, which is good news for people like me who bought into Hasbro years ago based on the Pokemon and Star Wars craze, yet never really saw any movement in it’s value.

YORK, January 11 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Piper Jaffray upgrade Hasbro Inc (HAS.NYS) from “market perform” to “outperform.” The target price has been raised from $18.00 to $24.50.

In a research note published yesterday, the analysts mention that the company has signed a five-year license agreement with Marvel for $205 million, $100 of which would be paid upon the closure of the deal and the rest when the two Spiderman movies are released. The agreement will commence in late-2006 and provide the company with the global rights to Marvel’s portfolio of 5000 characters, the analysts say. The Marvel agreement is expected to be accretive to Hasbro’s sales by $300 million, Piper Jaffray adds.

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