Helios Technologies (NASDAQ:HLIO) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Helios Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HLIO - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 109,320 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the previous session's volume of 151,498 shares.The stock last traded at $45.07 and had previously closed at $46.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Helios Technologies from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Helios Technologies Price Performance

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $49.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.73. The company has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.99 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Helios Technologies (NASDAQ:HLIO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.05. Helios Technologies had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $194.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $196.41 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. Helios Technologies's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Helios Technologies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Helios Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. Helios Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 31.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana Sacchi sold 615 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.91, for a total value of $33,154.65. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,016.76. This trade represents a 14.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Helios Technologies by 8.4% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 52,041 shares of the company's stock worth $2,485,000 after purchasing an additional 4,026 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Helios Technologies by 46.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 7,730 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Helios Technologies by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 39,271 shares of the company's stock worth $1,875,000 after buying an additional 3,066 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Helios Technologies by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,048 shares of the company's stock worth $1,196,000 after buying an additional 8,546 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Helios Technologies by 4.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,284,429 shares of the company's stock worth $61,333,000 after buying an additional 54,205 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.72% of the company's stock.

About Helios Technologies

Helios Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered motion control and electronic control technology solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Hydraulics and Electronics. The Hydraulics segment offers cartridge valve technology products to control rates and direction of fluid flow, and to regulate and control pressures for industrial and mobile applications; hydraulic quick release coupling solutions for the agriculture, construction equipment, and industrial markets; motion control technology and fluid conveyance technology; cartridge valve technology; engineered solutions for machine users, manufacturers, or designers.