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

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) saw a significant 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. Based on an average daily volume of 1,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hasbro

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hasbro by 351.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after buying an additional 19,007 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hasbro by 7,141.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 56,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,950,000 after purchasing an additional 55,847 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Hasbro by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 151,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,149,000 after purchasing an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hasbro during the third quarter worth approximately $18,163,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Hasbro by 43.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 27,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,557,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280 shares in the last quarter. 91.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hasbro Price Performance

NASDAQ:HAS traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,168,618 shares, 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a PE ratio of -13.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.63.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.45. Hasbro had a negative net margin of 14.83% and a positive return on equity of 47.91%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hasbro will post 3.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Hasbro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. 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 is currently -60.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hasbro from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hasbro from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Hasbro from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Hasbro from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Hasbro from $80.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hasbro has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.67.

Hasbro Company Profile

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.