Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 6,418,186 Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 901,425 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,418,186 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.49% of Leslie’s worth $2,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LESL. Ariel Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 36,601,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,360,000 after buying an additional 11,618,490 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 121.3% in the 3rd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 5,569,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,599,000 after buying an additional 3,052,539 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 1,300.5% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,187,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,977,000 after buying an additional 1,103,096 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 477.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,110,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,653,000 after buying an additional 918,084 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,787,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LESL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.75 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research 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 cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Leslie’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.61.

Leslie’s Stock Down 5.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $2.46 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $2.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.28. Leslie’s, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2.20 and a twelve month high of $8.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $455.02 million, a PE ratio of -20.50 and a beta of 1.12.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 6.11% and a negative net margin of 1.76%. The business had revenue of $397.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Leslie’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.