Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Shares Up 9.4%

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)’s share price traded up 9.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $4.78 and last traded at $4.77. 3,110,895 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 3,124,243 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.36.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LESL shares. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.37.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $869.04 million, a PE ratio of 47.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.06.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.01. Leslie’s had a net margin of 1.25% and a negative return on equity of 15.00%. The business had revenue of $173.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $169.17 million. Research analysts expect that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LESL. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the third quarter worth $120,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Leslie’s by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 114,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 16,583 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new stake in Leslie’s in the third quarter valued at about $109,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 16.8% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 67,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 9,759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 53.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,973,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,167,000 after acquiring an additional 687,943 shares in the last quarter.

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.