Room for Upgrades on Hasbro Stock as Earnings Near
Pessimism is still surrounding the outperformer
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) stock is slightly in the red today at $120.78, and we are looking ahead to the toymaker's quarterly results, slated for before the bell tomorrow, Oct. 22. Below we will take a closer look at the equity's long-term performance on the charts, and see what the options market is pricing in for the stock's post-earnings move.
Hasbro stock has made exceptional improvement since January, now up 48% in 2019. With no fewer than two massive bull gaps and support at both the 70-day and 100-day moving averages, the security is now on its way back to record high territory above the $120 mark.
In terms of the company's earnings history, Hasbro stock closed higher after five of the past eight reports, including a more than 14% surge in April. This quarter, the options market is eyeing an 11.3% swing for HAS, larger-than-usual in comparison to its average 7.8% move over the past two years.
Despite its positive long-term price action, plenty of pessimism still surrounds the retailer. Five analysts still sport a tepid "hold" recommendation, and in the options pits, bears look to be at play.
Specifically, the stock's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 2.70 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Ranking in the 80% annual percentile, this indicates HAS puts have been purchased over calls at a faster-than-normal clip in the past two weeks.
Echoing this, near-term options traders are also put-skewed at the moment, based on the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 2.55. This reading ranks in the highest percentile of its annual range, showing such a preference for short-term puts over calls is rare. What's more, peak put open interest sits at the January 2020 110-strike, where over 4,400 contracts reside.
Short interest on HAS fell 11.3% during the past two reporting periods, and now accounts for nearly 5% of the stock's total available float. In other words, at the equity's average pace of trading, it would take shorts more than a week to buy back their bearish bets.