Short Interest in Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Decreases By 27.2%

Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,050,000 shares, a decline of 27.2% from the March 15th total of 22,040,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 9.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on LESL. Mizuho lowered their target price on Leslie's from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie's in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Leslie's from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie's in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Leslie's from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $2.65.

Leslie's Stock Performance

Shares of Leslie's stock traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $0.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,155,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,618,528. Leslie's has a 12-month low of $0.51 and a 12-month high of $6.02. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $0.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.91. The company has a market cap of $111.47 million, a PE ratio of -4.01 and a beta of 1.30.

Leslie's (NASDAQ:LESL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.21) by ($0.02). Leslie's had a negative net margin of 2.13% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leslie's

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leslie's during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Leslie's by 106.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 37,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 19,257 shares during the period. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie's in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in Leslie's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie's during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000.

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.