Villanova Investment Management Co LLC Decreases Holdings in Helen of Troy Limited $HELE

Key Points

• Villanova Investment Management Co LLC reduced its stake in Helen of Troy Limited by 54.2%, ending with 10,125 shares valued at approximately $542,000.
• Insider transactions revealed that both the CFO and CEO purchased 10,000 shares each, indicating a 43.4% and 7.94% increase in their holdings, respectively.
• Analysts have lowered price targets for Helen of Troy shares, with Canaccord Genuity now setting a target of $26.00, down from a previous target of $47.00.

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC decreased its position in shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 54.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,125 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,998 shares during the period. Helen of Troy accounts for 1.5% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC's holdings in Helen of Troy were worth $542,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HELE. Armistice Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Helen of Troy during the first quarter valued at approximately $19,845,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 1,985.6% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 332,708 shares of the company's stock worth $17,797,000 after buying an additional 316,755 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Helen of Troy in the first quarter worth $14,013,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 3,325.3% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 185,616 shares of the company's stock worth $9,929,000 after buying an additional 180,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 364,180 shares of the company's stock worth $21,789,000 after buying an additional 162,460 shares during the last quarter.

Helen of Troy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HELE traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $24.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 510,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 667,818. The firm has a market capitalization of $553.39 million, a PE ratio of -1.66 and a beta of 0.84. Helen of Troy Limited has a twelve month low of $20.02 and a twelve month high of $77.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.87 and a 200 day moving average of $32.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates 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 firm's revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HELE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $26.00 price target (down previously from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, July 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Helen of Troy from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.33.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $665,115.33. This represents a 43.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Brian Grass purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $21.47 per share, for a total transaction of $214,700.00. Following the transaction, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 20,435 shares of company stock worth $425,948. 0.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.