Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $79.00 to $69.00. The stock had previously closed at $59.29, but opened at $56.88. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Helen of Troy shares last traded at $55.19, with a volume of 222,359 shares changing hands.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective on shares of Helen of Troy in a research note on Monday, October 7th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Helen of Troy from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helen of Troy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Helen of Troy by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 484 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Helen of Troy by 1.0% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,464,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Helen of Troy by 7.9% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 7,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $779,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the last quarter.

Helen of Troy Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $66.05 and its 200 day moving average is $64.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $2.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.07. Helen of Troy had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 7.35%. The firm had revenue of $530.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $532.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.79 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Helen of Troy Company Profile

Helen of Troy Limited provides various consumer products in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates in two segments: Home & Outdoor and Beauty & Wellness. The Home & Outdoor segment offers food storage containers, kitchen utensils for cooking and preparing salads, fruits, vegetables and meats, graters, slicers and choppers, baking essentials, kitchen organization, bath, cleaning, infant and toddler products, and coffee preparation tools and electronics; and insulated beverageware, including bottles, travel tumblers, drinkware, mugs, food and lunch containers, insulated totes, soft coolers, outdoor kitchenware, and accessories.