Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Trading Down 5.5%

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) shares fell 5.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $4.32 and last traded at $4.32. 505,463 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 2,937,501 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on LESL. Mizuho initiated coverage on Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 price target for the company. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Leslie’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.37.

Leslie’s Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $784.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $6.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.21.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $173.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $169.17 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ariel Investments LLC raised its holdings in Leslie’s by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,429,000 after purchasing an additional 8,398,488 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Leslie’s by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,116,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,097,000 after buying an additional 492,416 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Leslie’s by 55.1% during the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 17,115,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,876,000 after acquiring an additional 6,078,768 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Leslie’s by 66.7% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,018,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,771,000 after acquiring an additional 845,615 shares in the last quarter.

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.