Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $4.72 Million Holdings in Helen of Troy Limited $HELE

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Helen of Troy Limited by 146.0%, owning approximately 88,177 shares valued at $4.72 million as of its recent SEC filing.
• Insider transactions revealed that both CFO Tracy Scheuerman and CEO Brian Grass acquired shares on July 15th, indicating their confidence in the company's future.
• Research firms have adjusted their ratings and price targets for Helen of Troy, with Canaccord Genuity reducing its target to $26.00 from $47.00, underscoring a negative outlook on the stock.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 146.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 88,177 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 52,331 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.38% of Helen of Troy worth $4,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 33.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 91,447 shares of the company's stock worth $5,471,000 after purchasing an additional 23,085 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Helen of Troy during the fourth quarter worth $3,367,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 844.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 718 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,779 shares of the company's stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 500 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brian Grass acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $21.47 per share, for a total transaction of $214,700.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 135,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,918,460.04. This trade represents a 7.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tracy Scheuerman purchased 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 $20.13 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 20,435 shares of company stock worth $425,948 over the last 90 days. 0.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $26.00 price objective (down from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Helen of Troy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Helen of Troy from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.33.

Helen of Troy Stock Performance

Shares of Helen of Troy stock traded up $0.73 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.06. 510,990 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 672,957. The stock has a market capitalization of $574.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.73 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.94. Helen of Troy Limited has a 1-year low of $20.02 and a 1-year high of $77.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 0.74 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 the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.50). The firm had revenue of $371.66 million for 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 for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 EPS 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.