Traders Buy High Volume of Helen of Troy Call Options (NASDAQ:HELE)

Key Points

• Helen of Troy call-option activity surged: Traders bought 5,017 call options, an 809% increase over the typical daily volume of 552. The stock rose 3.4% to $29.60, near its 52-week high of $30.68.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.17 in earnings per share versus the $0.02 consensus and revenue of $402.12 million versus estimates of $374.55 million. Revenue increased 8.2% year over year, though the company posted a negative net margin.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with one Strong Buy, three Hold ratings and one Sell rating; the consensus rating is Hold with a $26.50 target price, below the current share price.

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 5,017 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 809% compared to the typical daily volume of 552 call options.

Helen of Troy Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of HELE stock traded up $0.98 on Monday, reaching $29.60. 325,793 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 625,225. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $689.45 million, a P/E ratio of -1.64 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $28.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.23. Helen of Troy has a 1-year low of $13.85 and a 1-year high of $30.68.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $402.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $374.55 million. Helen of Troy had a positive return on equity of 6.46% and a negative net margin of 22.70%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. Helen of Troy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.250-3.750 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Helen of Troy will post 2.84 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Helen of Troy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,533 shares of the company's stock worth $724,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Helen of Troy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Helen of Troy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 922.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,350 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Helen of Troy by 1,323.2% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,352 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Helen of Troy from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Helen of Troy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Helen of Troy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Helen of Troy from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Helen of Troy from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Helen of Troy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $26.50.

Helen of Troy Company Profile

Helen of Troy Limited is a global consumer products company that designs, sources and markets a diversified portfolio of household, health and beauty brands. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, the company operates through three principal segments—Health & Home, Housewares and Beauty—offering products under well-known names including OXO, Vicks, Braun, Honeywell Home, PUR and Hot Tools. Helen of Troy distributes its products through a combination of mass, specialty and e-commerce channels to consumers, retailers and distributors worldwide.

The Housewares segment features kitchen tools, gadgets and organizational solutions marketed primarily under the OXO brand, recognized for its ergonomic “Good Grips” design.

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