JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) Short Interest Up 5.9% in December

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 178,500 shares, a growth of 5.9% from the November 30th total of 168,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 86,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

JAKKS Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of JAKK stock traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.15. 145,463 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 100,305. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $28.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.23. JAKKS Pacific has a 12-month low of $17.06 and a 12-month high of $36.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 2.22.

JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ:JAKK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $4.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.24 by $1.36. The firm had revenue of $321.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $303.44 million. JAKKS Pacific had a return on equity of 15.27% and a net margin of 4.87%. On average, research analysts expect that JAKKS Pacific will post 2.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at JAKKS Pacific

In related news, CFO John Louis Kimble sold 48,253 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.62, for a total value of $1,332,747.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 95,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,638,925.28. The trade was a 33.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of JAKKS Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 1,617.0% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,537 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 3,331 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 15.4% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,225 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,636 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of JAKKS Pacific during the third quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in JAKKS Pacific by 50.9% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 13,335 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. 44.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on JAKK. B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of JAKKS Pacific from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of JAKKS Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $41.67.

About JAKKS Pacific

JAKKS Pacific, Inc designs, produces, markets, sells, and distributes toys and related products, electronic products, and other consumer products worldwide. It operates through two segments, Toys/Consumer Products and Costumes. The company offers action figures and accessories, such as licensed characters; toy vehicles and accessories; dolls and accessories, including small, large, fashion, and baby dolls based on licenses, as well as infant and pre-school products; private label products; and foot-to-floor ride-on products.