Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Trims Stock Holdings in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its stake in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 391,250 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,471 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned about 0.21% of Leslie’s worth $2,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 50.6% in the third quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,429,000 after buying an additional 8,398,488 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Leslie’s by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,862,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,781,000 after purchasing an additional 6,346,377 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Leslie’s by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 17,115,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,876,000 after purchasing an additional 6,078,768 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,423,000. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 89.7% during the 3rd quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,954,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,060,000 after acquiring an additional 923,853 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.37.

Leslie’s Price Performance

Shares of LESL stock opened at $4.25 on Thursday. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $11.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.45 and a 200 day moving average of $6.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $784.17 million, a PE ratio of 42.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.90.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.01. Leslie’s had a negative return on equity of 15.00% and a net margin of 1.25%. The firm had revenue of $173.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $169.17 million. Analysts anticipate that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 EPS for the current year.

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.