Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on LESL. Mizuho set a $5.00 price target on Leslie’s in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research upgraded Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $3.75 price target on Leslie’s and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $3.50 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $23.81.

Leslie’s Stock Down 10.9%

LESL stock opened at $1.80 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.40. The stock has a market cap of $16.70 million, a PE ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.32. Leslie’s has a fifty-two week low of $1.73 and a fifty-two week high of $48.60.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 58,177,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,789,000 after purchasing an additional 7,649,626 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Leslie’s during the 1st quarter worth about $1,543,000. King Street Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Leslie’s during the second quarter valued at about $630,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 61.3% in the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,570,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,499,000 after buying an additional 1,356,700 shares during the period. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 701.5% in the first quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,373,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,011,000 after buying an additional 1,202,568 shares during the period.

About Leslie’s

Leslie’s, Inc (NASDAQ: LESL) is the largest direct-to-consumer retailer of swimming pool supplies and related equipment in the United States. Through a network of more than 900 company-operated stores and a robust e-commerce platform, the company offers a comprehensive range of pool chemicals, cleaning tools, pumps, filters, heaters and pool accessories. In addition to product retailing, Leslie’s provides in-store and in-home water testing services, equipment installation, repair and ongoing maintenance programs designed to support both residential and commercial pool owners.

Founded in 1963 in North Miami Beach, Florida, Leslie’s has grown from a single neighborhood pool-supply shop into a national specialty retailer.