Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) Short Interest Update

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,422,932 shares, an increase of 33.3% from the February 26th total of 4,067,415 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,493,996 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Hasbro

In related news, EVP Tarrant L. Sibley sold 15,148 shares of Hasbro stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.98, for a total value of $1,590,237.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 50,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,267,266.52. This trade represents a 23.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christian P. Cocks sold 196,411 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.33, for a total value of $19,705,915.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 303,310 shares in the company, valued at $30,431,092.30. The trade was a 39.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 413,342 shares of company stock valued at $42,241,679 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hasbro

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Hasbro by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 438,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,009,000 after acquiring an additional 44,481 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Hasbro by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Hasbro by 54.7% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 7,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 2,586 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Hasbro by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,936,000 after purchasing an additional 9,744 shares during the period. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Hasbro by 68.0% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $598,000 after purchasing an additional 2,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.83% of the company’s stock.

Hasbro Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HAS traded up $0.80 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $89.39. The stock had a trading volume of 2,014,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,522,083. Hasbro has a twelve month low of $49.00 and a twelve month high of $106.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.89, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.04 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.76.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.52. Hasbro had a positive return on equity of 127.21% and a negative net margin of 6.86%.The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hasbro will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hasbro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Hasbro’s payout ratio is -119.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Hasbro from $99.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Hasbro from $88.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Hasbro in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm set a $120.00 price objective on Hasbro in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Hasbro from $80.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.07.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc is a global play and entertainment company, known for designing, manufacturing and marketing a diverse portfolio of toys, games and consumer products. Founded in 1923 as Hassenfeld Brothers and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the company has grown into one of the foremost names in the toy industry, with a presence in retail, digital and entertainment channels worldwide.

The company’s brand portfolio features iconic properties such as Monopoly, Play-Doh, Nerf, My Little Pony and Transformers.