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

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $6.55.

Several equities research analysts have commented on LESL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Leslie’s by 61.3% in the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,570,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,499,000 after buying an additional 1,356,700 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 last quarter. Man Group plc grew its stake in Leslie’s by 87.1% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,016,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 473,148 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Leslie’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $229,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Leslie’s by 732.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 421,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 370,680 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $2.04 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.12. Leslie’s has a one year low of $0.87 and a one year high of $18.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.01 million, a PE ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.22.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported ($5.24) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.20) by ($1.04). The business had revenue of $147.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $161.19 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Leslie’s will post -2.73 earnings per share 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.