Analyst Upgrades: Hasbro, Inc., ARM Holdings plc, and H & R Block Inc

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings on Hasbro, Inc. (HAS), ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (ARMH), and H & R Block Inc (HRB)

Sep 2, 2015 at 9:09 AM

Analysts are weighing in today on toymaker Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), microchip maestro ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (NASDAQ:ARMH), and tax prep expert H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on HAS, ARMH, and HRB.

Piper Jaffray boosted its rating on HAS to "overweight" from "neutral," citing the company's valuation and its upcoming "Star Wars" toy line. As a result, the stock is up 1.3% ahead of the bell, and poised to add to its nearly 32% year-to-date advance, as of Tuesday's close at $72.52. There's plenty of opportunity for additional bullish notes on Wall Street, too. Ninety percent of analysts tracking Hasbro, Inc. have doled out tepid "hold" assessments, suggesting more upgrades could come down the pike. Short covering could also boost the shares, as 8.4% of HAS' float is sold short -- 9.5 times its average daily trading volume.

ARMH received an upgrade to "neutral" from "underweight" at J.P. Morgan Securities, despite the stock's recent swoon. Specifically, since flirting with the $54-$55 area from February through June, the shares have lost roughly 24% -- settling at $41.13 yesterday. What's more, ARM Holdings plc recently got rejected by its 20-day moving average -- which the equity could test again today, up 3% ahead of the bell. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have been betting bearishly on the underperformer. During the last 10 weeks, ARMH has racked up a put/call volume ratio of 3.93 -- with nearly four puts bought to open for every call -- ranking just 7 percentage points from an annual peak.

HRB is poised to hurdle its year-to-date breakeven mark this morning, up 7.8% in electronic trading after last night's better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results and newly announced buyback plans. Also serving as upward catalysts are price-target hikes at Credit Suisse (to $36) and Wedbush (to $46). In recent months, option traders have been rolling the dice on a bounce for H & R Block Inc. The security's 50-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio of 16.17 sits above all but 6% of comparable readings taken in the prior year. Last night, HRB settled at $32.95, down 2.2% in 2015.

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