Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT)

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 17,103 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 174% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,239 call options.

Mattel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MAT traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $16.98. 2,585,542 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,146,623. Mattel has a one year low of $12.40 and a one year high of $22.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.74 and its 200 day moving average is $14.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.70.

Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.03). Mattel had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 7.79%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Mattel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.390 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mattel will post 1.30 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Mattel from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Odeon Capital Group initiated coverage on shares of Mattel in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Mattel from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Mattel in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upgraded Mattel from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mattel news, EVP Roberto Isaias sold 39,083 shares of Mattel stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.02, for a total value of $587,026.66. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 144,390 shares in the company, valued at $2,168,737.80. The trade was a 21.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mattel

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MAT. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Mattel by 107.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,159,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,376,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,726 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Mattel during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,141,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mattel during the second quarter valued at about $363,273,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mattel during the second quarter valued at about $3,147,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mattel by 184.6% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 160,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,232,000 after buying an additional 104,302 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.15% of the company’s stock.

About Mattel

Mattel, Inc is a global toy and entertainment company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of toys, games and consumer products. Its best-known brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Matchbox, UNO, Masters of the Universe and Thomas & Friends. Mattel also develops entertainment content and licenses its intellectual property for use in consumer products, digital experiences and other media.

Founded in 1945, Mattel has expanded from a U.S.