Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Hits New 1-Year Low at $3.95

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $3.95 and last traded at $3.98, with a volume of 633237 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on LESL. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $6.00 price target on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 target price on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.37.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $6.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.17. The stock has a market cap of $736.21 million, a P/E ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.90.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.01. Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 15.00% and a net margin of 1.25%. The firm had revenue of $173.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $169.17 million. Analysts anticipate that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LESL. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its position in Leslie’s by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,429,000 after buying an additional 8,398,488 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,116,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,097,000 after purchasing an additional 492,416 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Leslie’s by 55.1% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 17,115,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,876,000 after purchasing an additional 6,078,768 shares in the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Leslie’s by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,862,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,781,000 after purchasing an additional 6,346,377 shares during the period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in Leslie’s by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,018,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,771,000 after purchasing an additional 845,615 shares in the last quarter.

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.