Gabelli Funds LLC Acquires 6,320 Shares of Hasbro, Inc. $HAS

Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 36,342 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,320 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Hasbro were worth $2,980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in Hasbro by 4,246.5% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,040,000 after acquiring an additional 78,348 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Hasbro by 24.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 744,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,455,000 after buying an additional 147,227 shares in the last quarter. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Hasbro in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,804,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hasbro by 186.4% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 23,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 15,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hasbro in the third quarter worth approximately $895,000. Institutional investors own 91.83% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christian P. Cocks sold 196,411 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.33, for a total transaction of $19,705,915.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 303,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,431,092.30. This trade represents a 39.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hasbro Stock Up 1.7%

HAS opened at $90.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.59. Hasbro, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.74 and a 1-year high of $106.98. The company has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a PE ratio of -54.27, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $93.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.41.

Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.20 million. Hasbro had a negative net margin of 4.62% and a positive return on equity of 174.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hasbro, Inc. will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Hasbro Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Hasbro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -119.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Hasbro

Here are the key news stories impacting Hasbro this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hasbro reported Q1 EPS of $1.47 and revenue of about $1.0 billion, both above Wall Street expectations, with strength coming from Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming, especially Magic: The Gathering. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive overall, with BNP Paribas Exane raising its price target to $117 and DA Davidson maintaining a neutral rating with a $100 target, suggesting upside from current levels. BNP Paribas article
• Positive Sentiment: Hasbro also announced new product and licensing initiatives, including Monopoly Formula 1 Edition and new Marvel Legends exclusives, which support its franchise pipeline and brand visibility. Formula 1 partnership article
• Neutral Sentiment: Hasbro held its full-year revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA outlook steady, which reassured some investors but did not provide a new catalyst after the earnings release. U.S. News article
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that cash flow may be lumpy because a March cyberattack delayed invoicing, adding uncertainty around near-term collections and working capital. Boston Business Journal article
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also hurt by the company’s decision to cancel a Dungeons & Dragons game and by reports that Hasbro’s shares fell after management chose not to raise full-year guidance, overshadowing the earnings beat. IGN article

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HAS shares. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of Hasbro from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hasbro from $98.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Hasbro from $88.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Roth Mkm set a $120.00 target price on shares of Hasbro in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hasbro from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $113.64.

Hasbro Company Profile

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.