Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) Upgraded to “Buy” at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $72.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on HAS. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Hasbro to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Hasbro to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $88.00) on shares of Hasbro in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm raised their target price on Hasbro from $68.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hasbro from $82.00 to $77.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hasbro has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.89.

Hasbro Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HAS opened at $60.99 on Friday. Hasbro has a one year low of $49.00 and a one year high of $73.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.85, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.15.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $887.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $770.60 million. Hasbro had a return on equity of 47.93% and a net margin of 9.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. Research analysts predict that Hasbro will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hasbro Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 21st. Hasbro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.82%.

Institutional Trading of Hasbro

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Hasbro during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hasbro in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Hasbro by 120.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Hasbro during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in Hasbro by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 91.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.