What's Going On With Leslie's Stock Wednesday?

Benzinga · 2d ago

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL) shares are trading lower on Wednesday after the company reported mixed fourth-quarter financial results on Tuesday after the market closed.

What To Know: Leslie’s reported adjusted earnings per share of nine cents, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29. In addition, the company reported revenue of $389.20 million, beating the consensus estimate of $370.63 million.

Leslie's announced plans to close 80 to 90 underperforming stores and one distribution center as part of a broader optimization effort aimed at improving EBITDA in fiscal 2026. Management also highlighted a roughly 10% year-over-year reduction in inventory and reported approximately $168 million in available liquidity with no borrowings under its asset-based lending facility.

Gross profit increased 4.8% to $150.1 million, while comparable sales declined 6.5%. SG&A expenses were roughly flat year-over-year. The company recorded $183.8 million in impairment charges, including $180.7 million related to goodwill and $3.1 million tied to underperforming stores. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $45.2 million from $43 million a year ago.

Leslie's said the initiatives represent the next phase of its strategic transformation plan, focusing on strengthening the balance sheet, optimizing its cost structure and rebuilding stakeholder confidence.

Analyst Changes: Following the earnings report, multiple analysts issued price target adjustments.

  • Baird analyst Peter Benedict maintained a Neutral rating on Leslie’s and lowered the price target from $6.50 to $3.
  • Mizuho analyst David Bellinger maintained a Neutral rating on Leslie’s and lowered the price target from $5 to $4
  • Telsey Advisory Group analyst Dana Telsey maintained a Market Perform rating on Leslie’s and maintained a $3 price target.

LESL Price Action: At the time of writing, Leslie’s shares are trading 20.95% lower at $2.83, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.