Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Trading 5.6% Higher

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) shares were up 5.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $3.02 and last traded at $3.02. Approximately 1,137,999 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 4,203,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LESL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their price target on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $5.25 to $2.50 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leslie’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $3.96.

Leslie’s Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.16. The stock has a market cap of $513.59 million, a P/E ratio of 34.75, a PEG ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 1.17.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $569.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $569.99 million. Leslie’s had a net margin of 0.22% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%. Leslie’s’s quarterly revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leslie’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in Leslie’s by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,519,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,375,000 after buying an additional 500,292 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 492,416 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the first quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Private Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 93.8% in the second quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 2,516,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ariel Investments LLC lifted its position in Leslie’s by 46.5% in the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 36,601,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,360,000 after purchasing an additional 11,618,490 shares during the period.

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.