Here are 1-2 brief analogies for Helen Of Troy (HELE):

• Helen Of Troy is like a **Newell Brands** (owner of Rubbermaid, Sharpie, and Coleman) but focused on kitchen tools (OXO), health tech (Vicks and Braun thermometers), and beauty appliances (Hot Tools).
• Think of them as a smaller **Procter & Gamble**, but specializing in a portfolio of well-known consumer brands for kitchenware, health & home products, and personal care appliances.

• Beauty and Hair Care Appliances: Includes hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, and other styling tools for personal grooming.
• Health and Home Products: Encompasses air purifiers, humidifiers, heaters, fans, thermometers, and water filtration systems for home comfort and wellness.
• Housewares and Hydration Products: Features kitchen tools, gadgets, food storage containers, and insulated hydration bottles and tumblers.

Helen of Troy (symbol: HELE) primarily sells its consumer products to other companies, specifically major retailers and e-commerce platforms, who then distribute and sell to individual consumers.

Based on recent financial disclosures, its major customers include:

• Walmart Inc. (Symbol: WMT)
• Amazon.com, Inc. (Symbol: AMZN)

G. Scott Uzzell, Chief Executive Officer

G. Scott Uzzell assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Helen of Troy effective September 1, 2025. Prior to this, he served as Corporate Vice President & General Manager of Nike North America. Uzzell was also President & CEO of Converse, Inc. for four years, where he led a turnaround focusing on new product innovation and marketplace excellence. Before his time at Nike, he was President of the Venturing & Emerging Brands Group at The Coca-Cola Company, where he spearheaded the development of high-growth brands like Honest Tea, Body Armor, Health-Ade Kombucha, and Fairlife Milk, and successfully managed multiple M&A transactions to enhance shareholder value. His career began in sales and marketing at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Nabisco.

Brian L. Grass, Chief Financial Officer

Brian L. Grass currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Helen of Troy, returning to this role after serving as interim CEO. He has a long history with the company, having previously held the CFO position from 2014 to 2022 and serving as Assistant CFO from 2006 to 2014. Mr. Grass rejoined Helen of Troy in March 2023 as Senior Vice President, Assistant Chief Financial Officer, and then as interim CFO and interim CEO before reassuming the permanent CFO role. Before joining Helen of Troy, he spent seven years in public accounting at KPMG LLP and six years in various financial leadership roles at Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Tessa Judge, Chief Legal Officer

Tessa Judge is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Helen of Troy. She joined the company in March 2015 as Assistant General Counsel and was promoted to General Counsel in January 2018, before being appointed Chief Legal Officer in March 2022. Prior to her tenure at Helen of Troy, Ms. Judge worked as an Attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. She holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jay Caron, Chief of Global Operations

Jay Caron serves as the Chief of Global Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Helen of Troy, having started with the company in January 2017. His extensive experience in supply chain and operations leadership includes prior roles as Director at Shoreview Management Advisors, Vice President of Purchasing and IT at Thule Group, and Executive Vice President of Operations at Dorel Juvenile Group. Mr. Caron also held positions at Gillette, Newell, and Sony. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Purdue University.

Larry Witt, President, Home & Outdoor

Larry Witt is the President of Helen of Troy's Home & Outdoor segment. He has been with the company for 17 years and part of OXO, a Helen of Troy brand, for 29 years. Mr. Witt joined OXO in 1994 and played a significant role in guiding and driving the brand's growth to become a leading brand in the home industry and the largest single brand in Helen of Troy’s portfolio. He was also instrumental in the acquisitions of Hydro Flask and Osprey, overseeing their integration. Before joining OXO, Mr. Witt had a career at Dayton Hudson Corporation and Federated Department Stores in merchandising roles.

Helen of Troy Limited (HELE) faces several key risks to its business, primarily stemming from a challenging consumer landscape, global trade policies, and operational disruptions.

1. Weak Consumer Demand and Challenging Macroeconomic Environment: Helen of Troy's financial performance is significantly impacted by a difficult consumer spending environment and softer consumer demand, especially within its Beauty & Wellness segment. This has led to declines in sales for products such as hair appliances, prestige hair care, thermometers, and fans. The company has noted that underlying inflationary pressures are causing shoppers to prioritize essential purchases over discretionary items, affecting categories across its portfolio. This ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty has contributed to weaker-than-expected results and downward revisions to financial outlooks.
2. Impact of Tariffs and Evolving Global Trade Policies: Tariffs, particularly those imposed by the U.S. on products imported from China, pose a significant risk to Helen of Troy. The company purchases a high concentration of its products from manufacturers in China, exposing it to the financial burden of these tariffs. These tariff-related effects have directly contributed to sales declines and overall business and economic uncertainty, leading the company to actively seek diversification of its production outside of China to mitigate future impact.
3. Operational Disruptions and Supply Chain Challenges: The business has experienced notable operational challenges, specifically "shipping disruptions at the Company's Tennessee distribution facility due to automation startup issues". These internal issues have negatively impacted the company's ability to fulfill orders, particularly for small retail customers and direct-to-consumer sales, leading to a significant impact on its Home & Outdoor business segment and contributing to lowered sales forecasts. Beyond this specific incident, Helen of Troy, like many global companies, is susceptible to broader supply chain risks including transportation lead times, supplier capacity, and raw material availability, which can complicate inventory management and sales forecasting.

The significant market share gains and brand relevance resurgence of competitors, notably Stanley, in the insulated hydration product category. This intensely saturated market, coupled with shifting consumer preferences driven by competitors' viral marketing success (e.g., via TikTok), is directly impacting the sales and market positioning of Helen Of Troy's Hydro Flask brand, a key growth driver for the company.

Helen of Troy Limited (HELE) operates across several key product categories, each with its own addressable market. The market sizes for their main products and services are identified below:

Beauty & Wellness Segment

• Hair Care Appliances: The global hair care appliances market was valued at USD 6.28 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 11.05 billion by 2033. Another estimate places the global hair care appliances market at USD 19.5 billion in 2024, projected to expand to USD 27.8 billion by 2030.
• Skincare and Personal Care Products (including liquid, solid, and powder-based personal care and grooming products): The global beauty and personal care products market was valued at USD 557.24 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 937.13 billion by 2030. The global skincare market alone was valued at USD 115.65 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 194.05 billion by 2032.

Home & Outdoor Segment

• Kitchenware and Houseware (including food preparation tools, gadgets, storage containers, cleaning, organization, and baby/toddler care products under brands like OXO): The global kitchenware and houseware market was USD 31.47 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 42.63 billion by 2033.
• Small Electric Kitchen Appliances (also part of OXO offerings): The global small kitchen appliances market size was estimated at USD 29.09 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 40.90 billion by 2030.
• Outdoor Gear (including backpacks and travel gear under brands like Osprey, and insulated beverageware like Hydro Flask): The global outdoor gear market size was estimated at USD 55.62 billion in 2024. Another source indicates the global outdoor gear market size reached USD 57.62 billion in 2024 and is projected to touch USD 98.18 billion by 2033. Specifically for backpacks, the global backpack market size was valued at USD 18.66 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 37.45 billion by 2032.

Health & Home Segment

• Water Filtration Systems (PUR): The global water purifier market size was valued at USD 35.01 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 62.88 billion by 2032. The global water filters market size was valued at USD 15.88 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 26.42 billion by 2032.
• Healthcare Devices and Home Comfort Products (including thermometers, humidifiers, blood pressure monitors, fans, air purifiers, and heaters under brands like Vicks, Braun, and Honeywell): The global home healthcare market, which includes various devices for in-home care, was valued at USD 362.79 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow to USD 811.78 billion by 2032. Another estimate for the global home healthcare market size was USD 416.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 747.70 billion by 2030.

• Strategic Initiatives and Operational Efficiencies: Helen of Troy's "Elevate for Growth" strategy, supported by "Project Pegasus," aims to create operational efficiencies and expand gross margins. Project Pegasus is anticipated to achieve substantial profit improvements by reducing the cost of goods sold and lowering selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses. These savings are then reinvested into brand and product development to fuel further growth.
• Brand Activation, Product Innovation, and Distribution Expansion: Under its "Elevate for Growth" strategic plan, the company is focused on brand activation, improving its product pipeline, and expanding distribution. This involves enhancing the core product portfolio through commercial innovation and investing in product development and brand building to drive long-term growth.
• Strategic Acquisitions: Helen of Troy continues to pursue strategic acquisitions that align with its "Better Together M&A strategy." A recent example is the acquisition of Olive & June, a high-growth nail care brand, which is expected to broaden the company's customer reach and leverage its capabilities for category expansion.
• International Market Expansion: The company has demonstrated a focus on growing its international sales. Recent results indicate growth in categories such as hair appliances and thermometry in international markets, and Helen of Troy has improved market share in several key international regions through incremental distribution gains, innovation, and increased marketing investment.

Share Repurchases

• On September 5, 2024, Helen of Troy's Board of Directors authorized a new $500 million share repurchase program, effective August 20, 2024, for a period of three years.
• This new authorization superseded a prior repurchase program that had approximately $245.3 million remaining at the time.
• A previous $500 million share repurchase authorization was announced on September 9, 2021, effective August 25, 2021, for three years, replacing an existing authorization with approximately $79.5 million remaining.

Outbound Investments

• Helen of Troy acquired Olive & June, with the transaction closing on December 16, 2024.
• This acquisition is anticipated to contribute $0.05 to $0.07 in adjusted EPS accretion for the partial fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025.
• Olive & June is expected to provide an incremental net sales contribution of $36 million to $39 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Capital Expenditures

• Helen of Troy expected capital and tangible asset expenditures for fiscal year 2025 to be between $30 million and $35 million.
• These capital expenditures for fiscal year 2025 included approximately $8 million for remaining equipment technology associated with the new Tennessee distribution facility.
• Initial capital expenditures related to the first phase of Enterprise Technology initiatives were also part of the fiscal 2025 plan.