Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Short Interest Down 16.2% in December

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) saw a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,100,000 shares, a decline of 16.2% from the November 30th total of 22,790,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,580,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 10.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Leslie’s

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Leslie’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Leslie’s by 1,089.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 10,144 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Leslie’s by 52.6% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 5,776 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the second quarter worth $57,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LESL. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.75 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.61.

Leslie’s Trading Up 4.2 %

NASDAQ:LESL traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $2.23. 5,477,825 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,600,797. The firm has a market capitalization of $412.48 million, a P/E ratio of -18.58 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $2.63 and its 200-day moving average is $2.98. Leslie’s has a 12-month low of $2.02 and a 12-month high of $8.21.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $397.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.19 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Leslie’s will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.