Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $2.85.

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

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of LESL opened at $3.03 on Friday. Leslie’s has a 52 week low of $0.87 and a 52 week high of $18.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.10 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1.46 and a 200-day moving average of $1.88.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released 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 company had revenue of $184.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $162.48 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Leslie’s will post -2.73 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Leslie’s during the 4th quarter worth $392,000. Clearfield Capital Management LP raised its position in Leslie’s by 520.5% during the 4th quarter. Clearfield Capital Management LP now owns 191,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 160,703 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Leslie’s by 2,643.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 407,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 393,043 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Leslie’s by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 102,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 14,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Leslie’s by 38.5% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 117,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 32,500 shares during the last quarter.

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.