Jefferies Financial Group Upgrades Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) to "Buy"

Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $28.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $20.00. Jefferies Financial Group's target price points to a potential upside of 34.36% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com cut Mattel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Mattel from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Mattel from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Mattel in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Mattel from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.57.

Mattel Stock Performance

MAT stock traded up $2.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $20.84. The stock had a trading volume of 18,413,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,325,553. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.76. Mattel has a 52 week low of $15.87 and a 52 week high of $21.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.15. Mattel had a return on equity of 25.39% and a net margin of 10.24%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Mattel will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 584.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,485 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mattel during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mattel during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Mattel by 9,775.0% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Mattel by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.15% of the company's stock.

About Mattel

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.