Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Cuts Stock Position in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) by 17.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 264,616 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,727 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Helen of Troy were worth $16,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares 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. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Helen of Troy by 1.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,464,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in Helen of Troy during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Helen of Troy by 153.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Helen of Troy by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 7,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter.

Helen of Troy Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HELE opened at $71.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.18. Helen of Troy Limited has a 1 year low of $48.05 and a 1 year high of $127.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.85.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 9th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.16. Helen of Troy had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 7.35%. The company had revenue of $474.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $458.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Helen of Troy’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Helen of Troy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 39.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Helen of Troy from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Helen of Troy in a research report on Monday, October 7th.

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 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.