Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Stock Price Down 6.1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Helen of Troy's share price declined by 6.1%, trading at $22.63, significantly below its previous close of $24.11 and experiencing a trading volume of just 66,258 shares, compared to an average of 700,962 shares.
• Analysts have lowered their target prices for Helen of Troy, with Canaccord Genuity reducing its price target from $47.00 to $26.00 and UBS Group cutting theirs from $32.00 to $29.00.
• Insider trading reported increased purchases by CEO Brian Grass and CFO Tracy Scheuerman, indicating confidence in the company's future despite recent declines.

Shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) traded down 6.1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $22.62 and last traded at $22.63. 66,258 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 700,962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HELE shares. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Helen of Troy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Helen of Troy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.33.

Helen of Troy Stock Up 3.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $551.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.65 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $25.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.20.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). Helen of Troy had a negative net margin of 17.89% and a positive return on equity of 8.96%. The company had revenue of $371.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.69 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Helen of Troy

In other news, CEO Brian Grass bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $21.47 per share, for a total transaction of $214,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Tracy Scheuerman purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $20.13 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,041 shares in the company, valued at $665,115.33. This trade represents a 43.40% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 20,435 shares of company stock valued at $425,948 in the last quarter. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HELE. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Helen of Troy by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 500 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Helen of Troy by 71.1% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 844.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 718 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Helen of Troy by 917.5% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 814 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Helen of Troy by 2,820.0% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,692 shares during the period.

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.