Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Trading Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)’s share price shot up 3.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $2.76 and last traded at $2.75. 672,278 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,258,862 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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. Mizuho dropped their target price on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Leslie’s from $6.40 to $5.15 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $5.25 to $2.50 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Loop Capital cut 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 report on Friday, July 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.96.

Leslie’s Trading Down 1.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $508.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.77.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $569.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Leslie’s by 1,089.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 10,144 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Leslie’s by 32,510.0% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 6,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000.

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.