Short Interest in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Grows By 12.1%

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 31,060,000 shares, a growth of 12.1% from the June 15th total of 27,700,000 shares. Approximately 17.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Leslie’s from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Leslie’s from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $6.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Leslie’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.79.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of LESL traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $4.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,654,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,769,344. The stock has a market capitalization of $766.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $4.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.80. Leslie’s has a 52-week low of $3.12 and a 52-week high of $8.21.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18). The business had revenue of $188.66 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $202.69 million. Leslie’s had a net margin of 1.06% and a negative return on equity of 12.55%. Research analysts anticipate that Leslie’s will post 0.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Leslie’s

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,116,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,097,000 after purchasing an additional 492,416 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 2.2% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 7,320,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,581,000 after purchasing an additional 156,938 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 12.4% during the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,519,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,375,000 after purchasing an additional 500,292 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,633,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,201,000 after buying an additional 404,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in Leslie’s by 136.6% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 2,230,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,415,000 after buying an additional 1,288,013 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.