Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Upgraded at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on LESL. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $3.00 price target on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Leslie’s from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.65.

Leslie’s Stock Up 4.9 %

Shares of LESL stock opened at $0.64 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $0.83 and a 200-day moving average of $1.86. The company has a market cap of $117.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.24 and a beta of 1.30. Leslie’s has a 52 week low of $0.51 and a 52 week high of $6.02.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,807,000. Lind Value II ApS purchased a new stake in Leslie’s in the fourth quarter worth $10,258,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 900,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after buying an additional 27,615 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 587.5% during the 4th quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 550,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,226,000 after acquiring an additional 470,000 shares during the period.

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.