Comparing Leslie’s (LESL) & Its Rivals

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) is one of 285 public companies in the “Specialty Retail” industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Leslie’s to similar businesses based on the strength of its risk, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

51.9% of shares of all “Specialty Retail” companies are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Leslie’s shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.6% of shares of all “Specialty Retail” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Leslie’s and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Leslie’s	$1.18 billion	-$236.97 million	-0.00
Leslie’s Competitors	$7.30 billion	$386.51 million	31.08

Leslie’s’ rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Leslie’s. Leslie’s is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Risk & Volatility

Leslie’s has a beta of 1.76, indicating that its share price is 76% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Leslie’s’ rivals have a beta of 1.91, indicating that their average share price is 91% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Leslie’s and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Leslie’s	2	4	1	0	1.86
Leslie’s Competitors	3676	15601	21623	590	2.46

Leslie’s currently has a consensus target price of $2.85, suggesting a potential upside of 2,694.12%. As a group, “Specialty Retail” companies have a potential upside of 6.33%. Given Leslie’s’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Leslie’s is more favorable than its rivals.

Profitability

This table compares Leslie’s and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Leslie’s	-21.24%	N/A	-8.96%
Leslie’s Competitors	-3.62%	-13.67%	3.21%

Summary

Leslie’s rivals beat Leslie’s on 11 of the 13 factors compared.

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. In addition, the company provides installation and repair services for pool and spa equipment. It also sells its products through e-commerce websites and third-party marketplaces. The company offers complimentary, commercial-grade in-store, water testing, and analysis services. It serves the residential, professional, and commercial consumers. Leslie’s, Inc. was founded in 1963 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.