Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Stake Boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 142.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 586,926 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 344,873 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.32% of Leslie’s worth $1,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LESL. Ariel Investments LLC increased its stake in Leslie’s by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 36,601,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,360,000 after purchasing an additional 11,618,490 shares in the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its position in Leslie’s by 121.3% during the 3rd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 5,569,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,599,000 after acquiring an additional 3,052,539 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $6,470,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in Leslie’s by 1,300.5% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,187,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,977,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103,096 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Leslie’s by 477.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,110,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,653,000 after acquiring an additional 918,084 shares during the period.

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of Leslie’s stock opened at $2.14 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.76. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.02 and a 52-week high of $8.21. The firm has a market cap of $396.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.83 and a beta of 1.11.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its earnings results 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). Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 6.11% and a negative net margin of 1.76%. The company had revenue of $397.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LESL shares. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.75 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.