Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 810,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,807,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LESL. IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Leslie’s by 52.6% during the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 5,776 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Leslie’s by 334.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 20,564 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Leslie’s in the third quarter worth about $117,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $144,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Leslie’s by 205.3% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 48,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 32,611 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Stock Down 11.0 %

NASDAQ:LESL opened at $0.74 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.18. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 52 week low of $0.73 and a 52 week high of $6.64. The stock has a market cap of $136.23 million, a PE ratio of -4.90 and a beta of 1.20.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.02). Leslie’s had a negative net margin of 2.13% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $3.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Bank of America downgraded Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Leslie’s from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Leslie’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.65.

Leslie’s Company Profile

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.