Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Shares Gap Up After Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $20.05, but opened at $21.49. Helen of Troy shares last traded at $22.64, with a volume of 773,501 shares.

Specifically, CFO Tracy Scheuerman 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 $20.13 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the purchase, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Grass purchased 10,000 shares of Helen of Troy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were purchased 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 in the company, valued at $2,918,460.04. The trade was a 7.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HELE has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Helen of Troy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group set a $29.00 target price on Helen of Troy and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated 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.

Helen of Troy Trading Up 11.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $513.63 million, a P/E ratio of -1.54, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.87. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $27.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.93.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.50). The company 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 business's revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helen of Troy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 482,154 shares of the company's stock worth $28,847,000 after buying an additional 72,076 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Helen of Troy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,367,000. Amundi increased its position in Helen of Troy by 40.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,651 shares of the company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Helen of Troy in the fourth quarter valued at $803,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Helen of Troy in the fourth quarter valued at $484,000.

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.