Critical Review: PZ Cussons (OTC:PZCUY) vs. Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE)

Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) and PZ Cussons (OTC:PZCUY) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Helen of Troy and PZ Cussons’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Helen of Troy	8.10%	12.14%	6.35%
PZ Cussons	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Helen of Troy and PZ Cussons, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Helen of Troy	0	1	2	0	2.67
PZ Cussons	0	0	0	0	N/A

Helen of Troy presently has a consensus target price of $141.00, indicating a potential upside of 55.44%. Given Helen of Troy’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Helen of Troy is more favorable than PZ Cussons.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Helen of Troy and PZ Cussons’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Helen of Troy	$2.07 billion	1.04	$143.27 million	$6.77	13.40
PZ Cussons	N/A	N/A	N/A	C$0.43	5.29

Helen of Troy has higher revenue and earnings than PZ Cussons. PZ Cussons is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Helen of Troy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Helen of Troy beats PZ Cussons on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Helen of Troy

Helen of Troy Limited provides various consumer products in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates in two segments: Home & Outdoor and Beauty & Wellness. The Home & Outdoor segment offers food preparation tools and gadgets, storage containers, and organization products; coffee makers, grinders, manual pour overs, and tea kettles; household cleaning products, shower organization, and bathroom accessories; feeding and drinking products, child seating, cleaning tools, and nursery accessories; insulated hydration bottles, hydration packs, drinkware, mugs, food containers, lunch containers, insulated totes, soft coolers, and accessories; and technical and outdoor sports packs, travel packs and accessories, luggage, daypacks, and everyday packs. The Beauty & Wellness segment provides grooming brushes, tools, and decorative hair accessories; shampoos, liquid hair styling, and treatment and conditioning products, as well as hair appliances; and thermometers, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, nasal aspirators, and humidifiers; faucet mount water-filtration systems and pitcher-based water filtration systems; and air purifiers, heaters, and fans. The company sells its products through mass merchandisers, drugstore chains, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, grocery and specialty stores, beauty supply and e-commerce retailers, wholesalers, and various types of distributors, as well as directly to consumers under the OXO, Good Grips, Hydro Flask, Soft Works, OXO tot, OXO Brew, OXO Strive, OXO Outdoor, Osprey, PUR, Honeywell, Braun, Vicks, Drybar, Curlsmith, Hot Tools, Revlon, and Bed Head brands. Helen of Troy Limited was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in El Paso, Texas.

About PZ Cussons

PZ Cussons plc manufactures, distributes, markets, and sells baby, beauty, and hygiene products in Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, and Africa. The company offers toiletries, pharmaceuticals, electrical goods, edible oils, fats and spreads, nutritional products, shampoos, body washes, toothpastes, toothbrushes, skin and hair care products, food pouches, cereals, snacks, flavors, and fragrances; beauty soaps, lotions, wipes, creams, shower gels, foam-bursts, bar soaps, deodorants, bath infusions, handwashes, and conditioners; ointments; dishwashing liquids, dishwasher tablets, dishwasher gels, dishwasher capsules, rinse aids, liquid detergents, laundry soaps, and laundry solutions; and cooking and vegetable oils. It also provides refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, washing machines, microwaves, table and standing cookers, generators, stabilizers, TVs, DVDs, and home theatres. The company sells its products under the Cussons Kids, Rafferty's Garden, Cussons Baby, St.Tropez, Sanctuary Spa, Fudge Professional, Charles Worthington, Fudge Urban, Venus for You, Carex, Imperial Leather, Original Source, Premier Cool, Joy, Childs Farm, Haier Thermocool, Morning Fresh, Bayley's of Bond Street, Canoe, Zip, Robb, Radiant, Mamador, and Devon King's brand names. The company was formerly known as Paterson Zochonis Plc and changed its name to PZ Cussons Plc in 2002. PZ Cussons plc was incorporated in 1884 and is headquartered in Manchester, the United Kingdom.