Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $19.77, but opened at $24.81. Helen of Troy shares last traded at $23.2570, with a volume of 450,298 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HELE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Helen of Troy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, March 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $22.00 price objective on Helen of Troy in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Helen of Troy from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Helen of Troy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.00.

Helen of Troy Stock Up 17.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $536.59 million, a P/E ratio of -0.67 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.64.

Institutional Trading of Helen of Troy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HELE. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Helen of Troy by 60.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Helen of Troy by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in Helen of Troy during the first quarter valued at $14,013,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Helen of Troy by 16.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 74,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,975,000 after acquiring an additional 10,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,625,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter.

Helen of Troy Company Profile

Helen of Troy Limited is a global consumer products company that designs, sources and markets a diversified portfolio of household, health and beauty brands. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, the company operates through three principal segments—Health & Home, Housewares and Beauty—offering products under well-known names including OXO, Vicks, Braun, Honeywell Home, PUR and Hot Tools. Helen of Troy distributes its products through a combination of mass, specialty and e-commerce channels to consumers, retailers and distributors worldwide.

The Housewares segment features kitchen tools, gadgets and organizational solutions marketed primarily under the OXO brand, recognized for its ergonomic “Good Grips” design.