Helen of Troy Limited

Helen of Troy Limited (HELE - Snapshot Report) has done well against the market over the past year. The company also reported solid fiscal second-quarter earnings of 51 cents per share, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 31% and surpassing last year's 34 cents.

Company Description

Helen of Troy develops and manufactures products in two major segments, personal care and house ware. The personal care division is home to well known brands like Revlon and Vidal Sasoon while the house ware group develops items like food containers and BBQ tools. The company was founded in 1968 and has a market cap of $698 million.

Strong Momentum and Solid Fundamentals

Shares of HELE have done well against the market over the past year, outperforming by about 10% and currently trading near a 52-week high. Despite the share price gains, the stock's valuation remained attractive as it trades with a forward P/E of 9.7. The company's return on equity (ROE) of 10% tops the industry average of 6%.

Bullish Forecasts

Analysts polled by Zacks are upbeat on earnings. For the fiscal year ending February 2010, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.19 per share was increased from $1.97 over the past 60 days. For the following year, analysts polled by Zacks are pegging earnings at $2.39 per share, versus the 2 months-ago level of $2.16.

Stellar Second-Quarter Results

Helen of Troy reported solid fiscal second-quarter earnings of 51 cents per share, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 31% and surpassing last year's 34 cents. Revenue was up 5.6% from last year to $162.2 million.

Alex Kolb is the Growth & Income Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. He also writes the popular daily commentary column for the ZacksElite.com service.

Read the full analyst report on HELE