Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Sells 25,284 Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,916 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,284 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lind Value II ApS bought a new stake in shares of Leslie’s in the 4th quarter valued at $10,258,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Leslie’s by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,226,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,428,000 after acquiring an additional 91,898 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 340.4% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,436,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,662,000 after acquiring an additional 2,655,795 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Leslie’s by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,136,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,993,000 after purchasing an additional 258,686 shares during the period. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Leslie’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,838,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LESL shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Leslie’s from $3.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Mizuho lowered their target price on Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Leslie’s from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $2.65 to $1.40 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $3.00 price target on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Two equities research 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.65.

Leslie’s Stock Up 7.2 %

LESL stock opened at $0.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $113.93 million, a PE ratio of -4.10 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average of $0.88 and a 200-day moving average of $1.91. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.51 and a 12-month high of $6.02.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.

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.