Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.8056.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LESL shares. Mizuho set a $5.00 target price on Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, December 28th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $3.75 price objective on shares of Leslie’s and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $3.50 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Friday, December 26th.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ariel Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 4.7% during the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 60,903,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,573,000 after buying an additional 2,725,991 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in Leslie’s by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,570,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356,700 shares during the period. King Street Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $630,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 923.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,254,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,647 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 87.1% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,016,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 473,148 shares in the last quarter.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Leslie’s stock opened at $1.80 on Monday. Leslie’s has a 1 year low of $1.60 and a 1 year high of $48.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $2.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.29. The firm has a market cap of $16.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.28.

About Leslie’s

Leslie’s, Inc (NASDAQ: LESL) is the largest direct-to-consumer retailer of swimming pool supplies and related equipment in the United States. Through a network of more than 900 company-operated stores and a robust e-commerce platform, the company offers a comprehensive range of pool chemicals, cleaning tools, pumps, filters, heaters and pool accessories. In addition to product retailing, Leslie’s provides in-store and in-home water testing services, equipment installation, repair and ongoing maintenance programs designed to support both residential and commercial pool owners.

Founded in 1963 in North Miami Beach, Florida, Leslie’s has grown from a single neighborhood pool-supply shop into a national specialty retailer.