Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

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

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LESL opened at $7.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.60 million, a PE ratio of -0.27 and a beta of 1.95. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $2.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.07. Leslie’s has a fifty-two week low of $0.87 and a fifty-two week high of $13.57.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($5.36) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Leslie’s will post -2.73 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

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

Leslie’s Company Profile

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.