Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) Shares Bought by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL - Free Report) by 340.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,436,095 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,655,795 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 1.86% of Leslie's worth $7,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Leslie's in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Leslie's during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Leslie's by 92.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 21,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 10,396 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL acquired a new position in Leslie's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, RPO LLC purchased a new stake in Leslie's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LESL shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Leslie's from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Leslie's from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Leslie's from $1.90 to $1.55 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $3.00 target price on shares of Leslie's in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.65.

Leslie's Trading Down 5.3 %

LESL traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $0.59. 530,207 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,613,569. The company has a market cap of $109.10 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 1.30. Leslie's, Inc. has a 1-year low of $0.51 and a 1-year high of $6.02. The firm's fifty day moving average is $0.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.90.

Leslie's (NASDAQ:LESL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share 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%.

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.