M&G Plc Takes Position in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)

M&G PLC acquired a new position in shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 188,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,702,000. M&G PLC owned 0.83% of Helen of Troy as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Helen of Troy by 374.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Helen of Troy by 153.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Helen of Troy during the third quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Helen of Troy during the 1st quarter valued at about $201,000.

Helen of Troy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ HELE traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.48. The company had a trading volume of 360,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,886. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.85. Helen of Troy Limited has a one year low of $48.05 and a one year high of $127.83.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 9th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $474.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $458.85 million. Helen of Troy had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 7.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Helen of Troy announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 39.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $84.00 price target on shares of Helen of Troy in a research note on Monday, October 7th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Helen of Troy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

About Helen of Troy

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.