Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $2.27.

LESL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Leslie’s from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LESL. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Leslie’s by 125.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 399,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 221,809 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 205.3% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 48,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 32,611 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 142.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 586,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after buying an additional 344,873 shares in the last quarter. Lind Value II ApS bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 4th quarter worth $10,258,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Leslie’s by 271.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 111,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 81,706 shares in the last quarter.

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $0.73 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $0.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.71. Leslie’s has a 1 year low of $0.51 and a 1 year high of $6.02. The company has a market capitalization of $135.72 million, a P/E ratio of -4.88 and a beta of 1.32.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.02). Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 6.11% and a negative net margin of 2.13%.

Leslie’s Company Profile

Leslie’s, Inc operates as a direct-to-consumer pool and spa care brand in the United States. The company markets and sells pool and spa supplies and related products and services. It also offers various pool and spa maintenance items, such as chemicals, equipment and parts, cleaning and maintenance equipment, safety, recreational, and fitness related products.