Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on LESL. Zacks Research upgraded Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3.00 price target (up from $2.00) on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 price target on Leslie’s and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2.85.

Leslie’s Stock Down 13.1%

NASDAQ:LESL opened at $4.63 on Friday. Leslie’s has a 1-year low of $0.87 and a 1-year high of $15.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.91.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($5.36) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.41) by ($0.95). The company had revenue of $184.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $162.48 million. Equities analysts predict that Leslie’s will post -2.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LESL. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 923.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,254,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,647 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 123.7% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 2,213,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224,115 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $229,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 732.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 421,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 370,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 269.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 276,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 201,731 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.