Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. Purchases Shares of 262,460 Leslie’s, Inc. $LESL

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 262,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $433,000. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. owned about 2.82% of Leslie’s as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 309.7% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 61,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 46,468 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Scopia Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 38.5% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 117,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 32,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000.

Leslie’s Stock Up 14.9%

Shares of NASDAQ LESL opened at $3.01 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.10 and a beta of 1.53. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 52 week low of $0.87 and a 52 week high of $18.00.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($5.36) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.41) by ($0.95). The company had revenue of $184.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $162.48 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Leslie’s, Inc. will post -2.73 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LESL. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $3.00 target price (up from $2.00) on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $1.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Leslie’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.85.

Leslie’s 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.