Helen of Troy Portfolio Strength: Are Core Brands Holding Up?

Helen of Troy Limited HELE is currently navigating mixed portfolio performance, where a select group of core brands continues to hold up despite broader demand softness. While overall organic sales declined 10.8% in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, the company’s leading brands are demonstrating resilience, underscoring the strength of its brand equity in key categories.

Brands such as OXO, Osprey and Olive & June have stood out as consistent performers, supported by innovation, product expansion and strong consumer appeal. These brands are not only delivering revenue growth but, in some cases, exceeding internal expectations, particularly Olive & June, which generated nearly $38 million in fiscal third-quarter sales. This indicates that premium, innovation-led brands are still able to attract demand, even as consumers become more selective in their spending.

However, performance across the broader portfolio remains uneven. Weakness in categories such as insulated beverageware, hair appliances and certain beauty segments weighed on overall results, reflecting softer discretionary demand and ongoing competitive pressures. This has resulted in a clear divergence within the portfolio, where a relatively small group of brands is offsetting broader category-level headwinds.

Management acknowledged this imbalance, noting that only 30-40% of the portfolio currently has strong growth and innovation potential, while other brands require repositioning or “renovation.” The company is actively prioritizing investment toward its strongest brands while working to stabilize weaker ones.

Overall, while Helen of Troy’s core brands are showing relative stability, the company’s performance appears increasingly shaped by a smaller group of stronger brands, highlighting the role of ongoing brand-level execution.

Helen of Troy’s Zacks Rank & Share Price Performance

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have fallen 11.1% in the past month compared with the broader Consumer Staples sector and the industry’s decline of 12.1% and 24.6%, respectively. HELE has also underperformed the S&P 500 index, which fell 5.5% during the same period.

HELE Stock's Past Month Performance

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Is Helen of Troy a Value Play Stock?

HELE trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 4.38X, notably below the industry and the sector’s average of 23.67X and 16.24X, respectively. This valuation positions the stock at a modest discount relative to both its direct peers and the broader consumer staples sector.

HELE P/E Ratio (Forward 12 Months)

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Better-Ranked Stocks

The Hershey Company HSY engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. It sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hershey’s current financial-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 4.8% and 30.1%, respectively, from the prior-year reported levels. HSY delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.2%, on average.

Mama's Creations, Inc. MAMA manufactures and markets fresh deli-prepared foods in the United States. At present, MAMA flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. Mama's Creations delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 133.3%, on average.

The consensus estimate for Mama's Creations’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 39.9% and 44.4%, respectively, from the year-ago figures.

US Foods Holding Corp. USFD engages in the marketing, sale and distribution of fresh, frozen and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. USFD currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). US Foods Holding delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.2%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for US Foods Holding’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 5.4% and 20.9%, respectively, from the year-ago figures.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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