Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 1,613 Shares of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) by 29.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,034 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Helen of Troy were worth $376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $776,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 844.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 718 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 917.5% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 814 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Helen of Troy by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HELE shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Helen of Troy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Helen of Troy from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective (down from $47.00) on shares of Helen of Troy in a research report on Friday, July 11th.

Helen of Troy Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of HELE stock opened at $21.81 on Friday. Helen of Troy Limited has a 52-week low of $20.02 and a 52-week high of $77.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.39. The company has a market capitalization of $500.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.50 and a beta of 0.86.

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.50). The firm had revenue of $371.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.69 million. Helen of Troy had a positive return on equity of 8.96% and a negative net margin of 17.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Helen of Troy Limited will post 6.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Helen of Troy

In related news, CFO Tracy Scheuerman bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $20.13 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,041 shares in the company, valued at $665,115.33. The trade was a 43.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Brian Grass bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $21.47 per share, for a total transaction of $214,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 135,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,918,460.04. The trade was a 7.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 20,435 shares of company stock worth $425,948. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

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.