62,022 Shares in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Purchased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new position in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 62,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $138,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Leslie’s by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,406,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,564,000 after purchasing an additional 601,177 shares in the last quarter. Lind Value II ApS bought a new position in shares of Leslie’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,258,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,136,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,993,000 after buying an additional 258,686 shares in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $6,470,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Leslie’s by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,699,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,000 after buying an additional 54,318 shares in the last quarter.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LESL opened at $0.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $171.30 million, a PE ratio of -6.17 and a beta of 1.20. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 52 week low of $0.75 and a 52 week high of $6.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1.49 and its 200-day moving average is $2.24.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.65.

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.