Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Helen of Troy Limited $HELE

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. significantly increased its stake in Helen of Troy Limited by 1,985.6% in Q1, now holding about 1.45% of the company valued at approximately $17.8 million.
• Insiders, including CFO Tracy Scheuerman and CEO Brian Grass, made substantial stock purchases, totaling 20,435 shares valued at over $425,000 in the past three months.
• Analysts have downgraded their price targets for Helen of Troy, with UBS Group lowering theirs from $32 to $29, reflecting a cautious outlook for the company.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 1,985.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 332,708 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 316,755 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 1.45% of Helen of Troy worth $17,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HELE. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Helen of Troy in the 1st quarter worth $52,000. State of Wyoming raised its position in Helen of Troy by 137.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,936 shares of the company's stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Helen of Troy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $207,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Helen of Troy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Helen of Troy during the first quarter worth $258,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Helen of Troy

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HELE. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $26.00 target price (down previously from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Helen of Troy from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.33.

Helen of Troy Price Performance

Shares of HELE stock traded down $0.36 on Friday, reaching $24.35. 128,531 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 701,801. Helen of Troy Limited has a 1 year low of $20.02 and a 1 year high of $77.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $24.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.49. 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 company has a market cap of $558.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.67 and a beta of 0.84.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.50). The business had revenue of $371.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $400.69 million. Helen of Troy had a negative net margin of 17.89% and a positive return on equity of 8.96%. The firm's revenue was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Helen of Troy

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.