Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Receives $2.85 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.85.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 price objective on Leslie’s and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research upgraded Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Mizuho cut their target price on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3.00 target price (up from $2.00) on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

Leslie’s Trading Up 11.7%

LESL opened at $3.45 on Friday. Leslie’s has a 1-year low of $0.87 and a 1-year high of $18.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.12 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1.65 and a 200-day moving average of $1.85.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $184.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $162.48 million. Equities analysts predict that Leslie’s will post -2.73 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at $433,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Clearfield Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the third quarter valued at $170,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the third quarter valued at $950,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 38.5% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 117,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 32,500 shares in the last quarter.

About Leslie’s

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.