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what it is
It sells branded home, beauty, and health products like OXO tools, Hot Tools, and Dr. Scholl’s gear.
how it gets paid
Last year Helen Of Troy made $1.9B in revenue.
why growth slowed
Revenue fell 4.9% last year. Yahoo says $1.71 EPS versus $1.75 expected. EDGAR lists a -$36.70 per-share figure for the latest quarter.
what just happened
Helen of Troy missed estimates by $0.04 a share, while the quarter still carried $1.3B of revenue.
At a glance
C++ balance sheet — some cracks in the foundation
80/100 earnings predictability — you can trust these numbers
4.6x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
6.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
$4.60 fy2027 eps est
xvary composite: 35/100 — weak
What they do
It sells branded home, beauty, and health products like OXO tools, Hot Tools, and Dr. Scholl’s gear.
You buy 10 named brands here, from OXO to Hot Tools to Dr. Scholl’s. That gives you shelf space across home, beauty, and health, not one lonely aisle. operating margin → profit before interest and taxes → 15.0% means 15 cents of every sales dollar stays after running the business; return on capital → profit from money tied up in the business → 6.0% says the engine is only average.
How they make money
$1.9B
annual revenue · revenue declined -4.9% last year
total revenue
$1.9B
4.9%
The products that matter
kitchen and home products
Housewares
part of a $1.9B portfolio
This is part of the core shelf-space story. The problem is not that the portfolio lacks categories. The problem is that the whole company still posted a 4.9% revenue decline last year.
core category
health and air-quality products
Healthcare and home environment
46.0% gross margin backdrop
The company keeps 46.0% of each revenue dollar before operating costs. That's respectable. Finishing with only 4.8% net margin tells you the category mix is not the issue by itself.
margin test
beauty and supplement brands
Beauty and nutritional supplements
$400M market cap company
You are effectively buying the equity for about $400M while the business still produces $1.9B in revenue. That's why the stock screens cheap. It's also why debt and execution matter more than storytelling.
valuation lever
Key numbers
$869M
long-term debt
That is 68% of capital and more than twice the roughly $400M market cap. The balance sheet is the whole story.
$1.9B
annual revenue
This is still a real business, not a broken toy. A small margin shift moves millions.
4.6x
trailing p/e
You are paying 4.6 times trailing earnings because the market wants a discount for the risk.
$33
18-mo target
sees 90% upside from $17.39. That is the upside case in one number.
Financial health
C++
strength
- balance sheet grade C++ — below average — limited financial resources
- risk rank 4 — safer than 20% of stocks
- price stability 20 / 100
- long-term debt $869M (68% of capital)
- net profit margin 4.8% — keeps 5 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 9% — $0.09 profit for every $1 investors have put in
C++ — balance sheet grade and long-term debt are flagged. this stock carries more risk than average.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in HELE 3 years ago → it's now worth $1,540.
The index would have given you $13,880.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
missed estimates
Helen of Troy missed estimates by $0.04 a share, while the quarter still carried $1.3B of revenue.
Yahoo says $1.71 EPS versus $1.75 expected. EDGAR lists a -$36.70 per-share figure for the latest quarter, so the clean adjusted number and the statutory number are living in different universes.
$1.3B
revenue
$1.71
eps
46.0%
gross margin
the number that mattered
The $0.04 EPS miss matters because this stock has little cushion. Tiny misses still move the story.
-
the company posted fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.71 a share, four cents lower than our estimate and 36% lower than the year-ago result, on better-than-expected sales of $512.8 million.
-
the top-line decrease was the result of a roughly 11% drop in organic business, due to a decline in insulated beverageware, hair appliances, prestige hair care products, thermometers, humidifiers, and water filtration.this was partially offset by the acquisition of olive & june, llc, which boosted total revenue by $37.7 million, and solid demand for travel, technical, and lifestyle packs in the home & outdoor segment.
-
what’s more, during the interim, consolidated gross margin decreased 200 basis points, to 46.9%, due in large part to the net unfavorable effects of higher tariffs and a less-favorable inventory obsolescence impact vs. prior year.
-
and results for the final stanza of fiscal 2025 were likely weak.
-
to wit, leadership expects year-end sales to come in between $1.758 billion and $1.773 billion (a 7% vs. prior year decline at the midpoint), while adjusted earnings per share were likely in a range of $3.25 to $3.75.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the main risk is simple: sales keep slipping while debt stays heavy. HELE does not need a disaster to disappoint you. Another ordinary weak year would do the job.
high
sales keep slipping
Revenue is $1.9B and fell 4.9% last year. When a branded consumer company shrinks, retailers usually gain bargaining power and the valuation usually stays low.
the bear case is not dramatic. another year of decline would pressure the whole $1.9B revenue base and keep the stock trapped in penalty-box pricing
high
debt leaves little room for mistakes
Long-term debt is $869M, or 68% of capital. That is a lot of debt for a business keeping only 4.8% of revenue as profit.
if margins slip even a little, the balance sheet matters more than the 4.6x p/e suggests
med
the economics stay merely okay
Return on capital is 6.0% and return on equity is 9%. Those are survivable numbers, not numbers that force the market to pay a higher multiple.
if returns do not improve, the stock can stay cheap even if earnings hold near current estimates
med
institutions keep heading for the door
Institutions were net sellers for two straight quarters, including 63 buyers versus 78 sellers in 4Q2025. That is not a subtle message.
continued selling can cap upside even if the business stops getting worse
$869M of long-term debt sits against a $1.9B revenue base and a 4.8% net margin. If you own HELE, you are betting management can stop the drift before the balance sheet becomes the whole story.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
metric
whether revenue gets back above $1.9B
The street is looking for roughly $2B in fy2027 revenue. If sales do not get there, the low multiple is probably the right multiple.
risk
debt staying near 68% of capital
A C++ balance sheet can improve, but not if debt stays this heavy while sales move sideways and net margin stays near 4.8%.
calendar
the next earnings update
This story changes on the top line first. You want to see stabilization before you spend much time on upside math.
trend
institutional flow after two selling quarters
If 63 buyers versus 78 sellers flips back the other way, sentiment can improve fast. If not, expect the stock to keep trading like a business still on probation.
Analyst rankings
earnings predictability
80 / 100
Management has been fairly consistent relative to peers. In human-speak, analysts trust the reported earnings more than they trust the growth story.
risk rank
4
This sits on the riskier side of the market. The weak balance sheet and 20 / 100 price stability are the reason.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net selling for 2 consecutive quarters — 63 buyers vs. 78 sellers in 4q2025. total institutional holdings: 21.1M shares. net selling for 2 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$14
$51
$17
current price
$33
target midpoint · +90% from current · 3-5yr high: $80 (+360% · 47% ann'l return)
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