Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Shares Down 5.5%

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) shares dropped 5.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $4.32 and last traded at $4.32. Approximately 505,463 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 2,937,501 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Leslie’s Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $784.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $6.52 and its 200 day moving average is $6.21.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $173.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $169.17 million. Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 15.00% and a net margin of 1.25%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LESL. Profund Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Leslie’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $74,000. RPO LLC bought a new position in Leslie’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $84,000. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the third quarter worth $87,000.

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.