Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL – Get Rating) dropped 5% during trading on Tuesday after Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on the stock from $30.00 to $28.00. Telsey Advisory Group currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Leslie’s traded as low as $18.59 and last traded at $18.71. Approximately 18,150 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 99% from the average daily volume of 1,974,432 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.70.
A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LESL. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Leslie’s from $28.00 to $25.00 in a report on Friday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Leslie’s from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $27.00 in a report on Monday, April 4th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised Leslie’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $29.55.
In other news, insider Moyo Labode sold 4,696 shares of Leslie’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.48, for a total transaction of $82,086.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,963.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LESL. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the 4th quarter worth $101,417,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 106.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,009,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,703,000 after acquiring an additional 3,612,422 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 10,975,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,672,000 after acquiring an additional 3,262,915 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 9,652,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,370,000 after acquiring an additional 2,458,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 10,511,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,293,275 shares during the last quarter.
The firm has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.67 and a 200-day moving average of $20.64.
Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $228.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $211.32 million. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.02) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.
About Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL)
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 offers pool chemicals consisting of chlorine, sanitizers, water balancers, specialty chemicals, and algae control; pool covers, including winter, solar and safety covers, leaf nets, cover reels, and cover alternatives; pool equipment, which comprise pool cleaners, pool pumps, pool filters, pool heating, and lighting; and pools, such as above ground pools, soft side pools, above ground pools liners and equipment, ladders and rails, and diving boards.