Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Sees Strong Trading Volume After Strong Earnings

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. Approximately 298,000 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 34% from the previous session’s volume of 222,460 shares.The stock last traded at $93.58 and had previously closed at $100.28.

The company reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $489.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $477.88 million. Helen of Troy had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 11.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HELE has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group cut their target price on Helen of Troy from $121.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Helen of Troy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Helen of Troy from $151.00 to $139.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Helen of Troy during the 3rd quarter valued at $93,000. Advisor Partners II LLC bought a new position in shares of Helen of Troy in the third quarter valued at about $202,000. ARGA Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Helen of Troy during the 1st quarter worth about $218,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Helen of Troy during the 3rd quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Helen of Troy by 101.5% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter.

Helen of Troy Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.29. The company has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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 preparation tools and gadgets, storage containers, and organization products; coffee makers, grinders, manual pour overs, and tea kettles; household cleaning products, shower organization, and bathroom accessories; feeding and drinking products, child seating, cleaning tools, and nursery accessories; insulated hydration bottles, hydration packs, drinkware, mugs, food containers, lunch containers, insulated totes, soft coolers, and accessories; and technical and outdoor sports packs, travel packs and accessories, luggage, daypacks, and everyday packs.