Brokerages Set Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) PT at $6.55

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $6.55.

Several research firms recently issued reports on LESL. Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $3.75 price target on Leslie’s and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

LESL opened at $1.00 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.69. Leslie’s has a twelve month low of $0.87 and a twelve month high of $18.56. The firm has a market cap of $9.29 million, a P/E ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 1.33.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported ($5.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.20) by ($1.04). The business had revenue of $147.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.19 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ariel Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 4.7% in the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 60,903,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,573,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725,991 shares in the last quarter. King Street Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Leslie’s during the second quarter worth $630,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 61.3% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,570,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,499,000 after buying an additional 1,356,700 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,131,647 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Leslie’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $229,000.

Leslie’s Company Profile

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.