Virtu Financial LLC Buys 32,611 Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Virtu Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 205.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,496 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,611 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 1,089.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 10,144 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the second quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Leslie’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $57,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LESL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.75 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $3.61.

Leslie’s Trading Down 6.1 %

LESL stock opened at $2.15 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.17. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2.13 and a 12-month high of $8.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.68 million, a PE ratio of -17.92 and a beta of 1.12.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.09). Leslie’s had a negative net margin of 1.76% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%. The business had revenue of $397.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Leslie’s 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.