Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Stake in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)

Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE - Free Report) by 30,278.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,069,940 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,066,418 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 4.68% of Helen of Troy worth $66,176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy by 374.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 280 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Helen of Troy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Helen of Troy by 153.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC bought a new stake in Helen of Troy in the third quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Helen of Troy in the first quarter worth about $263,000.

Helen of Troy Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:HELE traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $69.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 906,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,464. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Helen of Troy Limited has a 1 year low of $48.05 and a 1 year high of $127.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.36 and a 200-day moving average of $72.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $458.85 million. Helen of Troy had a net margin of 7.35% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The company's revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Helen of Troy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 39.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented 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 upped their target price on shares of Helen of Troy from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note 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.