AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 85,276 Shares of Helen of Troy Limited $HELE

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Helen of Troy Limited by 43.8%, leaving it with a total of $5.81 million worth of shares after selling 85,276 shares in the first quarter.
• Insider trading activity saw CFO Tracy Scheuerman and CEO Brian Grass each purchase 10,000 shares of Helen of Troy, with Scheuerman's buy increasing her stake by 43.4% and Grass's by 7.94%.
• The Q2 earnings report revealed a significant miss, with earnings per share of $0.41 compared to estimates of $0.91, leading analysts to lower their price targets for the stock.

AQR Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 43.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,512 shares of the company's stock after selling 85,276 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.48% of Helen of Troy worth $5,814,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 55.8% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 81,650 shares of the company's stock worth $4,367,000 after purchasing an additional 29,251 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its position in Helen of Troy by 1,392.7% during the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 97,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,196,000 after acquiring an additional 90,640 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Helen of Troy by 60.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the first quarter valued at approximately $968,000. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the first quarter valued at approximately $19,845,000.

Helen of Troy Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:HELE traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $23.22. 536,227 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 633,639. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.41 and a 200 day moving average of $31.35. Helen of Troy Limited has a 12 month low of $20.02 and a 12 month high of $77.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $532.67 million, a P/E ratio of -1.60 and a beta of 0.84.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 10th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.50). The business had revenue of $371.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $400.69 million. Helen of Troy had a positive return on equity of 8.96% and a negative net margin of 17.89%.The business's revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $26.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Helen of Troy from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Helen of Troy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brian Grass purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $21.47 per share, with a total value of $214,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 135,932 shares in the company, valued at $2,918,460.04. This trade represents a 7.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Tracy Scheuerman purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $20.13 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 33,041 shares in the company, valued at $665,115.33. The trade was a 43.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 20,435 shares of company stock valued at $425,948. 0.45% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.