Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $27.28, but opened at $30.05. Helen of Troy shares last traded at $33.05, with a volume of 381,467 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HELE. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on Helen of Troy from $92.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Helen of Troy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Helen of Troy from $68.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th.

Helen of Troy Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.64. The company has a market capitalization of $699.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.35 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $485.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.55 million. Helen of Troy had a net margin of 6.05% and a return on equity of 9.13%. The business's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. On average, 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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 500 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 844.7% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 718 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 917.5% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 814 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Helen of Troy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,352 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the last quarter.

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.