Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its stake in Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL - Free Report) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,004,254 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,121,403 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.94% of Leslie's worth $24,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Leslie's in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Leslie's in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Leslie's by 92.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 10,396 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Leslie's during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in Leslie's by 334.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,714 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 20,564 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Leslie's from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Leslie's from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie's in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Leslie's from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 price objective on Leslie's in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.65.

Leslie's Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $0.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,636,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,658,003. The company has a market capitalization of $106.86 million, a PE ratio of -3.85 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $0.92 and its 200 day moving average is $1.93. Leslie's, Inc. has a 12 month low of $0.51 and a 12 month high of $6.02.

Leslie's (NASDAQ:LESL - Get Free Report) last announced 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%.

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.