Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Short Interest Up 65.2% in July

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,581,147 shares, an increase of 65.2% from the June 30th total of 957,205 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,721,793 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 17.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Leslie’s Price Performance

LESL traded up $0.08 on Friday, hitting $0.95. 2,303,613 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 761,251. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 1.65. Leslie’s has a 12 month low of $0.80 and a 12 month high of $12.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $5.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.94.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($5.36) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.41) by ($0.95). The business had revenue of $184.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $162.48 million. Equities research analysts expect that Leslie’s will post -2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on LESL. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3.00 price target (up from $2.00) on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Leslie’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 14th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2.85.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LESL. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Leslie’s by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 102,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 14,840 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Performa Ltd US LLC increased its stake in Leslie’s by 27.5% in the first quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 148,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 31,900 shares during the last quarter.

About Leslie’s

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.