Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) were up 3.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $3.17 and last traded at $3.13. Approximately 1,553,927 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 4,151,855 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on LESL shares. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $4.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the company from $5.25 to $2.50 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.96.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $600.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.79.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $569.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $569.99 million. Leslie’s had a net margin of 0.22% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%. Leslie’s’s quarterly revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LESL. Ariel Investments LLC raised its stake in Leslie’s by 46.5% during the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 36,601,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,360,000 after acquiring an additional 11,618,490 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. raised its stake in Leslie’s by 93.8% during the second quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,516,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,545,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,047 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Leslie’s by 1,300.5% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,187,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,977,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103,096 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Leslie’s by 477.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,110,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,653,000 after purchasing an additional 918,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearfield Capital Management LP bought a new position in Leslie’s in the 4th quarter worth about $4,928,000.

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.