Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 92,100 Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 92,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $636,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ariel Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,429,000 after buying an additional 8,398,488 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,624,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,414,000 after buying an additional 647,841 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $96,876,000 after buying an additional 6,078,768 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 66.7% during 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 period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in Leslie’s by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,018,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,771,000 after purchasing an additional 845,615 shares during the period.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

LESL stock opened at $3.99 on Monday. Leslie’s, Inc. has a one year low of $3.88 and a one year high of $11.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.29 and a 200-day moving average of $6.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.19 million, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LESL. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research note 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 note on Tuesday, March 5th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 price target for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $6.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.37.

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.