Geode Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)

Geode Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 535,883 shares of the company's stock after selling 47,794 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.35% of Helen of Troy worth $33,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HELE. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Helen of Troy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 30.3% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 783 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the third quarter worth $61,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the second quarter worth $270,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Helen of Troy in the third quarter valued at $315,000.

Helen of Troy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of HELE traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $61.28. The stock had a trading volume of 264,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 437,121. Helen of Troy Limited has a 1-year low of $48.05 and a 1-year high of $127.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 9th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.16. Helen of Troy had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 7.35%. The firm had revenue of $474.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $458.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Helen of Troy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 39.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on HELE shares. DA Davidson increased their price target on Helen of Troy from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 target price on shares of Helen of Troy in a research note on Monday, October 7th.

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.