Helios Technologies (NASDAQ:HLIO) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Helios Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HLIO)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $27.13, but opened at $28.99. Helios Technologies shares last traded at $28.89, with a volume of 87,002 shares traded.

The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.08. Helios Technologies had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 8.22%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Helios Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. Helios Technologies’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

Helios Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, February 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on HLIO. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Helios Technologies from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Helios Technologies from $65.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helios Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Helios Technologies by 71.8% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 687 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in shares of Helios Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Helios Technologies by 148.8% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 2,232 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Helios Technologies by 2,361.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 4,464 shares during the period. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in Helios Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Institutional investors own 94.72% of the company’s stock.

Helios Technologies Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 3.03.

Helios Technologies Company Profile

Helios Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered motion control and electronic control technology solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Hydraulics and Electronics. The Hydraulics segment offers cartridge valve technology products to control rates and direction of fluid flow, and to regulate and control pressures for industrial and mobile applications; hydraulic quick release coupling solutions for the agriculture, construction equipment, and industrial markets; motion control technology and fluid conveyance technology; cartridge valve technology; engineered solutions for machine users, manufacturers, or designers.