Prudential Financial Inc. Reduces Holdings in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Prudential Financial Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 188,916 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,184 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,807,000. Lind Value II ApS acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,258,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the third quarter worth about $1,702,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Leslie’s by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 900,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,009,000 after acquiring an additional 27,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Leslie’s by 142.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 586,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 344,873 shares during the period.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

NASDAQ LESL opened at $0.62 on Thursday. Leslie’s, Inc. has a twelve month low of $0.54 and a twelve month high of $6.02. The stock has a market cap of $114.84 million, a PE ratio of -4.13 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.05.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.02). Leslie’s had a negative net margin of 2.13% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on LESL. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Leslie’s from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Leslie’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.65.

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.