Assisted by improving margins and rising international sales, toy company Mattel (MAT: 31.08, +1.55, +5.25%) posted a stronger-than-expected 14% leap in fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday.

The earnings beat, added to a 35% hike in its dividend payout, sent shares of El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel leaping 5% to a 52-week high.

The creator of Barbie and Hot Wheels stated that it earned $370.6 million, or $1.07 a share, compared with a profit of $325.2 million, or 89 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts had predicted a profit of $1.01 a share.

Revenue crawled 1.4% higher to $2.15 billion, but that lagged behing the Street’s view of $2.22 billion.  U.S. sales dropped 2%, while international revenue increased 5%.

Mattel stated that its gross margins rose to 53.9% from 51.6%.

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