Helen of Troy shares rocketed 59% over the past month following an earnings announcement on April 23. Short interest ticked down 2.2% this week to 13.1% of float. Analysts lifted targets sharply but remain neutral.
HELE closed at $23.62 on April 24, down 0.8% on the day but up 25.2% over the past week. The stock has gained 59% over the month. The household appliance maker saw explosive volatility following its April 23 earnings announcement.
Short interest stood at 3.02 million shares on April 23, representing 13.1% of the free float. Shares short fell 2.2% over the past week and dropped 0.1% day-over-day. Over the month, short interest rose 11.5%.
The borrowing level has retreated from mid-month highs. Short interest peaked at 3.11 million shares on April 10, the highest reading in the past 30 days. The current 3.02 million share level last appeared in late March.
Days to cover sits at 6.0 according to the most recent FINRA report dated April 15.
Cost to borrow was 0.60% on April 23. The metric spiked to 1.07% on April 15 — the 30-day high — before pulling back. Current CTB has risen 1.4% over the week and 16.6% over the month.
Utilisation dropped to 5.1% on April 23, down from 8.9% on April 10. The metric has fallen steadily since early April when it sat above 11%. The 52-week high was 30.6%.
The put/call ratio stood at 1.37 on April 24, nearly in line with the 20-day mean of 1.38. Standard deviation over the period was 0.05, placing the current reading at a z-score of -0.06 — statistically neutral.
The PCR has traded in a narrow band between 1.31 and 1.49 over the past month. The 52-week range spans 0.33 to 1.74.
The mean price target is $29.33, implying 24% upside from the current price.
On April 24, UBS analyst Peter Grom raised his target from $16 to $25 while maintaining a Neutral rating. The same day, Canaccord Genuity's Susan Anderson lifted her Hold-rated target from $18 to $23.
Both firms had previously cut targets in early April. Grom lowered his target from $22 to $16 on April 7. Anderson trimmed hers from $22 to $18 in January.
The recent upgrades reversed a six-month downtrend in analyst targets. Between July 2025 and April 2026, UBS and Canaccord cut price targets five times each.
According to Benzinga's bull case, eight of Helen of Troy's 11 key brands are seeing point-of-sale unit growth in the U.S. The direct-to-consumer business is expanding. Strategic pricing is in place across product lines.
The bear case highlights a projected 10% sales decline driven by soft consumer demand in beverageware and home categories. Tariffs led to cancellations of direct import orders. The closeout channel is weakening. Hair appliances and fans face increased competitive pressure.
The P/E ratio was 6.85 on April 24, up 2.57 points over the past month. The metric rose 1.54 points over the past week. The 30-day move reflects the sharp price gain against trailing earnings.
Price-to-book stood at 0.59, up 0.22 over the month and 0.12 over the week. EV/EBITDA was 7.42, up 0.46 over 30 days.
Helen of Troy ranks in the 84th percentile for sector score. The short score rank sits at the 13th percentile. The stock scores in the 58th percentile for days to cover and 56th for utilisation. EV/EBIT ranks at the 47th percentile.
Analyst recommendation differential ranks at the 53rd percentile. Dividend score is at the 27th percentile. EPS surprise ranks in the 5th percentile.
Vanguard added 34,654 shares in the quarter ending March 31, lifting its stake to 1.53 million shares (6.6% of shares outstanding). BlackRock added 6,754 shares to hold 1.76 million (7.6%).
Among active managers, Millennium Management built a 1.05 million share position as of December 31, adding 628,300 shares. The fund now holds 4.5% of shares outstanding.
Columbia Management increased its position by 125,940 shares to 784,868 shares (3.4%) as of March 31. UBS Asset Management added 427,947 shares to hold 617,007 shares (2.7%).
Paradigm Capital initiated a 564,200 share position (2.4%) in the December quarter. Managed Account Advisors added 127,432 shares to hold 541,556 (2.3%).
D.E. Shaw trimmed its stake by 199,403 shares, reducing its holding to 748,783 shares (3.2%).
Insiders were net buyers over the past 90 days, purchasing 4,237 shares for a net value of $72,381.
On July 15, 2025, Acting CEO Brian Grass bought 10,000 shares at $21.47 for $214,700. The same day, the Acting CFO purchased 10,000 shares at $20.13 for $201,300. Chief Legal Officer Tessa Judge bought 435 shares at $22.87 for $9,948 on July 16, 2025.
Grass later sold 1,288 shares on March 2, 2026 at $17.64 for $22,720, and 2,949 shares on March 4 at $16.84 for $49,661.
The company reported earnings on April 23 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern. The stock had three separate earnings-related announcements that day at 10:45 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. An earlier earnings date was announced on April 6, with another scheduled for April 24 at 4:30 p.m.
No upcoming earnings event is currently scheduled in the snapshot. The next catalyst will likely be management commentary on tariff impact and point-of-sale trends across key brands.
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