Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.86 by ($0.90), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $458.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $503.22 million.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LESL traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1.32. 4,573,305 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 798,610. Leslie’s has a one year low of $0.80 and a one year high of $12.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.91. The company has a market cap of $12.35 million, a PE ratio of -0.04 and a beta of 1.74.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Leslie’s during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Clearfield Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 520.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearfield Capital Management LP now owns 191,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 160,703 shares in the last quarter. Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $392,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 102,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 14,840 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Leslie’s Company Profile

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.