Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 810,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,807,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Leslie’s as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Leslie’s by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,699,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,000 after buying an additional 54,318 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 900,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after acquiring an additional 27,615 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Leslie’s by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,136,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,993,000 after acquiring an additional 258,686 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 271.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 111,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 81,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lind Value II ApS purchased a new position in Leslie’s during the 4th quarter valued at $10,258,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Leslie’s from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.65.

Leslie’s Trading Down 11.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $0.74 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.18. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.73 and a 12-month high of $6.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.90 and a beta of 1.20.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) 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%.

Leslie’s Company Profile

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.