Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD Decreases Holdings in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD trimmed its stake in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 36.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 337,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 196,485 shares during the quarter. Leslie’s makes up 1.1% of Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $2,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LESL. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in Leslie’s by 49.0% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 942,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,337,000 after purchasing an additional 309,911 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,018,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,771,000 after buying an additional 845,615 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in Leslie’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Leslie’s by 16.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 990,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,606,000 after purchasing an additional 140,932 shares during the period. Finally, Ariel Investments LLC raised its position in Leslie’s by 50.6% during the third quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,429,000 after purchasing an additional 8,398,488 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LESL traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $4.07. The company had a trading volume of 3,439,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,033,869. The company has a market capitalization of $750.96 million, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.90. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.88 and a 1-year high of $11.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.18.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $173.96 million for 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, analysts expect that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 EPS for the current year.

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.