Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) Shares Bought by Federated Hermes Inc.

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Helen of Troy Limited by 3,325.3%, owning 185,616 shares valued at approximately $9.93 million at the end of the reporting period.
• Insiders, including the CFO and CEO, purchased shares of Helen of Troy on July 15th, indicating confidence in the company's future performance.
• Recent analyst reports have downgraded the company, with Canaccord Genuity reducing its price target significantly from $47.00 to $26.00.

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 3,325.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 185,616 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 180,197 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.81% of Helen of Troy worth $9,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Helen of Troy in the fourth quarter worth about $41,248,000. Medina Value Partners LLC lifted its stake in Helen of Troy by 303.8% during the 4th quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 318,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,054,000 after acquiring an additional 239,593 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Helen of Troy by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,789,000 after acquiring an additional 162,460 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 757,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,312,000 after acquiring an additional 118,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Helen of Troy by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 302,709 shares of the company's stock worth $18,111,000 after acquiring an additional 100,767 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Helen of Troy

In other news, CFO Tracy Scheuerman purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $20.13 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 33,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at $665,115.33. This trade represents a 43.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Grass acquired 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $21.47 per share, for a total transaction of $214,700.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 135,932 shares in the company, valued at $2,918,460.04. This represents a 7.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 20,435 shares of company stock worth $425,948. Company insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HELE. UBS Group cut their price target on 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Helen of Troy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $26.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, July 11th.

Helen of Troy Price Performance

NASDAQ:HELE traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $22.33. 137,124 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 708,841. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $512.32 million, a PE ratio of -1.53 and a beta of 0.86. Helen of Troy Limited has a twelve month low of $20.02 and a twelve month high of $77.95. The stock's 50-day moving average is $26.24 and its 200-day moving average is $39.10.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Helen of Troy had a positive return on equity of 8.96% and a negative net margin of 17.89%. The company had revenue of $371.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $400.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 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.