Short Interest in JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) Grows By 18.7%

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 211,800 shares, a growth of 18.7% from the December 15th total of 178,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 92,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Louis Kimble sold 48,253 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.62, for a total transaction of $1,332,747.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 95,544 shares in the company, valued at $2,638,925.28. This trade represents a 33.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of JAKK. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 2.2% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 64,296 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,152,000 after buying an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in JAKKS Pacific by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,225 shares of the company's stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 217.4% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 19,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 13,409 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 16.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 192,957 shares of the company's stock worth $3,456,000 after acquiring an additional 27,046 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of JAKKS Pacific by 29.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 444,488 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,961,000 after acquiring an additional 102,155 shares during the period. 44.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JAKK. StockNews.com upgraded JAKKS Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. B. Riley upped their price target on shares of JAKKS Pacific from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, JAKKS Pacific currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $41.67.

JAKKS Pacific Stock Up 1.6 %

JAKK stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Monday, reaching $27.70. 47,531 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 63,958. The firm has a market cap of $304.42 million, a PE ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 2.23. JAKKS Pacific has a 1-year low of $17.06 and a 1-year high of $36.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $27.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.13.

JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ:JAKK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $4.60 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $303.44 million. JAKKS Pacific had a return on equity of 15.27% and a net margin of 4.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that JAKKS Pacific will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

JAKKS Pacific Company Profile

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.