Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) Price Target Lowered to $3.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) had its price objective decreased by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $4.00 to $3.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 81.27% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Leslie’s from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $3.75 to $3.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $3.24.

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LESL traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1.66. 1,370,658 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,627,792. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $306.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.03 and a beta of 1.10. Leslie’s has a 52 week low of $1.56 and a 52 week high of $8.21.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.02). Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 6.11% and a negative net margin of 2.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Leslie’s will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. Lind Value II ApS bought a new position in Leslie’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,258,000. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 121.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,470,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,807,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,406,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,564,000 after purchasing an additional 601,177 shares in the last quarter.

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.