Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, December 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $3.75 target price on shares of Leslie’s and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $3.00 price target on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 price target on Leslie’s and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.55.

Leslie’s Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of LESL opened at $1.01 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.01. Leslie’s has a 52-week low of $0.87 and a 52-week high of $19.20. The firm has a market cap of $9.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 1.33.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported ($5.24) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.20) by ($1.04). The firm had revenue of $147.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $161.19 million.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Leslie’s by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 102,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 14,840 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Clearfield Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $170,000.

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.