Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 810,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,807,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Leslie’s at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lind Value II ApS bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter worth about $10,258,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Leslie’s by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 900,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after purchasing an additional 27,615 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Leslie’s by 142.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 586,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,855,000 after acquiring an additional 344,873 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Leslie’s by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,226,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,428,000 after buying an additional 91,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 470,000 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $0.63 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $0.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.81. Leslie’s, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $0.51 and a fifty-two week high of $6.02. The company has a market cap of $116.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.18 and a beta of 1.30.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LESL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 target price on Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Leslie’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.65.

About Leslie’s

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.