Brokerages Set Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) PT at $2.83

Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $2.77.

LESL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 price objective on Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $3.75 to $3.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Leslie’s Trading Down 6.8 %

NASDAQ:LESL opened at $1.03 on Friday. Leslie’s has a 12 month low of $1.02 and a 12 month high of $8.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.51. The firm has a market cap of $189.86 million, a P/E ratio of -6.83 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. Lind Value II ApS acquired a new stake in Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,258,000. Ariel Investments LLC lifted its position in Leslie’s by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 50,527,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,677,000 after purchasing an additional 3,975,268 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Leslie’s by 121.3% in the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 5,569,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,599,000 after purchasing an additional 3,052,539 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Leslie’s by 340.4% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,436,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,662,000 after purchasing an additional 2,655,795 shares during the period. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,838,000.

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.