Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Receives $23.81 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.8056.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LESL. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $3.75 price target on Leslie’s and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Mizuho set a $5.00 target price on Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $3.50 target price on Leslie’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leslie’s

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LESL. Ariel Investments LLC lifted its stake in Leslie’s by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 60,903,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,573,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725,991 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 61.3% in the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,570,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,700 shares during the last quarter. King Street Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the second quarter worth about $630,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 923.6% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,254,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,000 after buying an additional 1,131,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 87.1% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,016,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 473,148 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Trading Down 8.9%

NASDAQ LESL opened at $1.54 on Monday. Leslie’s has a 12 month low of $1.52 and a 12 month high of $48.60. The stock has a market cap of $14.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $2.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.12.

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.