Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) Short Interest Up 22.7% in October

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,270,000 shares, a growth of 22.7% from the October 15th total of 3,480,000 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Hasbro Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of HAS stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.21. 1,168,618 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,617,096. Hasbro has a 12-month low of $43.74 and a 12-month high of $73.46. The business’s fifty day moving average is $69.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.63.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Hasbro had a negative net margin of 14.83% and a positive return on equity of 47.91%. The company’s revenue was down 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Hasbro will post 3.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hasbro Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Hasbro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -60.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HAS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on Hasbro from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Hasbro from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Hasbro from $59.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hasbro from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Hasbro from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hasbro

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in Hasbro by 1.1% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 26,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,524,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hasbro by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $777,000 after purchasing an additional 3,897 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Hasbro by 43.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 27,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in Hasbro by 7.8% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 151,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,149,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Hasbro by 6.4% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 142,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,053,000 after buying an additional 8,566 shares during the period. 91.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a toy and game company in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Australia, China, and Hong Kong. The company operates through Consumer Products; Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming; Entertainment; and Corporate and Other segments.