Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) Short Interest Up 17.0% in February

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 16,130,000 shares, a growth of 17.0% from the February 13th total of 13,790,000 shares. Currently, 4.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Mattel Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MAT traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $20.01. The stock had a trading volume of 573,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,164,798. The firm has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.65. Mattel has a twelve month low of $15.87 and a twelve month high of $22.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $20.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.15. Mattel had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 25.94%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mattel will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Mattel by 150.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mattel during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Mattel by 9,775.0% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in Mattel in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in Mattel by 130.3% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,781 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MAT. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Mattel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $20.00 to $28.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Mattel from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Mattel from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mattel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mattel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.57.

Mattel Company Profile

Mattel, Inc, a toy and family entertainment company, designs, manufactures, and markets toys and consumer products in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through North America, International, and American Girl segments. It offers dolls and accessories, as well as books, content, gaming, and lifestyle products for children under the Barbie, American Girl, Disney Princess and Disney Frozen, Monster High, and Polly Pocket brands; die-cast vehicles, tracks, playsets, and accessories for kids, adults, and collectors under the Hot Wheels, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, Hot Wheels Mario Kart, Matchbox, and Cars brand names; and infant, toddler, and preschool products comprising content, toys, live events, and other consumer products under the Fisher-Price, Little People and Imaginext, and Thomas & Friends, and Power wheels brands.