Short Interest in Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) Expands By 7.2%

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,820,000 shares, a growth of 7.2% from the March 31st total of 8,230,000 shares. Approximately 6.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,800,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.9 days.

Hasbro Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HAS traded down $0.96 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $60.34. The company had a trading volume of 1,202,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,773,182. Hasbro has a fifty-two week low of $42.66 and a fifty-two week high of $73.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.74.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $757.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.84 million. Hasbro had a positive return on equity of 25.41% and a negative net margin of 29.60%. Hasbro's revenue was down 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.01 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hasbro will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Hasbro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.64%. Hasbro's payout ratio is currently -27.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet lowered Hasbro from a "c-" rating to a "d+" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Hasbro from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hasbro from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Hasbro from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hasbro from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hasbro

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hasbro in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Hasbro by 56.2% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 464 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Hasbro by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 544 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Hasbro in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Hasbro during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.83% of the company's stock.

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.