Cerity Partners LLC Invests $310,000 in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 44,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LESL. Ariel Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 50.6% in the third quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,429,000 after acquiring an additional 8,398,488 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 66.7% in the third quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,862,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,781,000 after acquiring an additional 6,346,377 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,078,768 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the third quarter worth $7,423,000. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 89.7% during the third quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,954,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,060,000 after buying an additional 923,853 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Price Performance

NASDAQ LESL opened at $3.99 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $6.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.18. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.88 and a 52 week high of $11.68. The company has a market capitalization of $736.19 million, a P/E ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.90.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $169.17 million. Research analysts anticipate that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LESL shares. Mizuho started coverage on Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.37.

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.