ICONix

E.W. Scripps, owner of the beloved Peanuts brand, is selling United Media Licensing for $175 million, and while the sale comes as no surprise, the price might: It's a tad low given that majority buyer Iconix thinks it can generate $75 million in royalties a year from the business.

Playboy Enterprises Inc. (PLA), whose shares tanked Wednesday after a planned sale of the adult media empire collapsed, has one of porn's biggest executives in its corner. Bill Asher, the co-chief executive of the world's largest adult video producer, Vivid Entertainment Group, tells DailyFinance that he now owns 1 million shares of the company of the company Hugh Hefner founded more than 50 years ago.

Time may be running out for Playboy Enterprises. A deal has fallen apart to sell the publisher of the iconic men's magazine to Iconix Brand Group, owner of London Fog and Danskin. Iconix determined that "it would be too complicated to separate the Playboy brand from the company's other assets."

Playboy Enterprises's (PLA) shares soared more than 60% after Bloomberg News reported that the pioneering adult publisher was in talks to sell itself to Iconix Brand Group (ICON), the owner of Candie's and London Fog clothing brands. The news may sit well with investors now, but if it really...