Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD Sells 196,485 Shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL)

Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD decreased its holdings in shares of Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) by 36.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 337,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 196,485 shares during the period. Leslie’s accounts for about 1.1% of Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Corbyn Investment Management Inc. MD owned about 0.18% of Leslie’s worth $2,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ariel Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 24,987,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,429,000 after buying an additional 8,398,488 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,624,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,414,000 after buying an additional 647,841 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Leslie’s by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 17,115,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,876,000 after buying an additional 6,078,768 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Leslie’s by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,862,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,781,000 after purchasing an additional 6,346,377 shares during the period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in Leslie’s by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,018,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,771,000 after purchasing an additional 845,615 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LESL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Leslie’s from $5.40 to $6.30 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Mizuho began coverage on Leslie’s in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Leslie’s from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Leslie’s in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of Leslie’s in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.37.

Leslie’s Stock Performance

Shares of LESL traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $4.07. 3,439,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,033,869. Leslie’s, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.88 and a 1-year high of $11.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $6.37 and a 200-day moving average of $6.18. The stock has a market cap of $750.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.90.

Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.01. Leslie’s had a net margin of 1.25% and a negative return on equity of 15.00%. The company had revenue of $173.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $169.17 million. Research analysts anticipate that Leslie’s, Inc. will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Leslie’s

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.