Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Position Lowered by Private Management Group Inc.

Private Management Group Inc. reduced its position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,993,159 shares of the company’s stock after selling 576,119 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $11,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 271.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 111,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 81,706 shares in the last quarter. Lind Value II ApS acquired a new position in Leslie’s in the fourth quarter worth $10,258,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Leslie’s by 142.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 586,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 344,873 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 205.3% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 48,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 32,611 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 125.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 399,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 221,809 shares during the period.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of LESL stock opened at $2.22 on Thursday. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1.91 and a 1 year high of $8.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $411.17 million, a PE ratio of -18.50 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $2.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.67.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $397.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.19 million. Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 6.11% and a negative net margin of 1.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LESL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $3.75 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $3.49.

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.