Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Receives $2.85 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.85.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $3.00 price objective (up from $2.00) on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leslie’s

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 61.3% in 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 last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised 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 worth $922,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131,647 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 87.1% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,016,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 473,148 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $229,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 732.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 421,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 370,680 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Trading Down 9.8%

Shares of LESL opened at $7.19 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.30 million, a P/E ratio of -0.24 and a beta of 1.93. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.09. Leslie’s has a 12 month low of $0.87 and a 12 month high of $13.57.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($5.36) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.41) by ($0.95). The firm had revenue of $184.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $162.48 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Leslie’s will post -2.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.