KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Stake in Helios Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HLIO)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Helios Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HLIO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 7,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLIO. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Helios Technologies by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 687 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Helios Technologies by 321.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 5,113 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Helios Technologies by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Helios Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $315,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Helios Technologies by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. 94.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Helios Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HLIO opened at $26.45 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.65. Helios Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $24.90 and a fifty-two week high of $57.29. The company has a market capitalization of $880.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.41 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.03 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

Helios Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Helios Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 30.77%.

Helios Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Monday, February 24th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Helios Technologies from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

About Helios Technologies

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.