Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Shares Up 6.4% – Time to Buy?

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) shares rose 6.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $3.01 and last traded at $3.01. Approximately 437,756 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 4,239,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LESL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $5.25 to $2.50 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Leslie’s from $6.40 to $5.15 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $4.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Leslie’s from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $3.96.

Leslie’s Stock Up 4.2 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $545.49 million, a P/E ratio of 150.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Leslie’s by 32,510.0% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 6,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Leslie’s in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Leslie’s by 1,089.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10,144 shares during the period. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC purchased a new stake in Leslie’s in the second quarter worth about $55,000.

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.