Dark Forest Capital Management LP Raises Stock Position in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 54.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,776 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,650 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP’s holdings in Leslie’s were worth $91,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Leslie’s by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 16,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,385 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 7.4% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 35,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 2,473 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its position in shares of Leslie’s by 1.7% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 160,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,046,000 after buying an additional 2,710 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 4.1% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 82,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Leslie’s by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 378,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,460,000 after acquiring an additional 5,728 shares during the last quarter.

Leslie’s Trading Up 10.5 %

Leslie’s stock opened at $3.16 on Tuesday. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2.42 and a 12-month high of $8.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $583.79 million, a PE ratio of 39.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 1.17.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $569.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $569.99 million. Leslie’s had a net margin of 0.22% and a negative return on equity of 6.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Leslie’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $5.25 to $2.50 in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Leslie’s from $6.40 to $5.15 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.96.

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.