Street/flow are not supportive: multiple price-target cuts + hedge funds selling heavily.
Near-term catalyst risk is high with earnings/events imminent; for an impatient buyer, this is a poor setup (more downside than upside until trend turns).
Technical Analysis
Trend is bearish: moving averages are stacked bearishly (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5), indicating a persistent downtrend.
Momentum is still weakening: MACD histogram is negative (-0.00366) and expanding to the downside.
RSI_6 at ~25.8 signals oversold/washed-out conditions, but oversold can stay oversold in downtrends; it’s not a standalone buy here.
Key levels: price (~1.33) is at S1 (1.333). A clean loss of this level opens room toward S2 (1.203). Upside resistance zones: Pivot 1.543 then R1 1.753.
Pattern-based forward odds provided are unfavorable: ~50% chance of -1.13% next day, -3.61% next week, ~-0.3% next month.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Positioning skews bullish/speculative: very low OI put/call (0.11) and low volume put/call (0.33) imply calls dominate.
Implied vol is low versus its own history: IV percentile ~11.95 and IV rank ~10.59 suggest options are “cheap” relative to the last year, which can precede volatility around catalysts.
Practical caveat: today’s option volume is extremely light (total volume 4 contracts), so sentiment reads are noisy despite the call-lean.
Technical Summary
Sell
8
Buy
3
Positive Catalysts
Event-driven upside possible from upcoming earnings-related communications (calendar shows earnings after-hours on 2026-02-12; company also announced a Q1 FY2026 results call/webcast on 2026-02-17), which can trigger sharp short-covering moves at this low price.
Gross margin improved in FY2025 Q4 (38.56%, +7.11% YoY), supporting a potential stabilization narrative if it persists.
Call-heavy options skew could amplify upside if results/guidance surprise positively.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
with risk of a breakdown toward ~1.
Hedge funds are selling aggressively (selling amount up ~986% QoQ), a strong negative flow signal.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: FY2025 Q4.
Revenue: $389.206M, down -2.17% YoY (continued top-line pressure).
Profitability: net income improved YoY but is still deeply negative (-$162.816M); EPS also remains very negative (-17.54), despite YoY improvement (likely helped by comps/one-offs).
Margins: gross margin rose to 38.56% (+7.11% YoY), one of the few constructive trends, but not yet enough to offset broader business weakness.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend is decisively negative: multiple firms cut price targets sharply in early Dec 2025 after Q4 results.
Morgan Stanley: PT cut to $3.50 from $7, Equal Weight; cites market share losses and a prolonged turnaround.
Jefferies: PT cut to $3.75 from $7, Hold; calls it a “show-me story” needing consistent execution.
Baird: PT cut to $3 from $6.50, Neutral; model reset as company tries to stabilize.
Mizuho: PT cut to $4 from $5, Neutral; guidance midpoint seen as below expectations.
Wall Street pros/cons view: Pros = margin improvement and a defined recovery plan; Cons = ongoing market-share losses, weak/uncertain growth outlook, and limited confidence in near-term execution.
Wall Street analysts forecast LESL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LESL is 3.45 USD with a low forecast of 3 USD and a high forecast of 4 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast LESL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LESL is 3.45 USD with a low forecast of 3 USD and a high forecast of 4 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
0 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Hold
Current: 1.200
Low
3
Averages
3.45
High
4
Current: 1.200
Low
3
Averages
3.45
High
4
Morgan Stanley
Equal Weight
downgrade
$7
AI Analysis
2025-12-10
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Price Target
$7
AI Analysis
2025-12-10
downgrade
Equal Weight
Reason
Morgan Stanley lowered the firm's price target on Leslie's to $3.50 from $7 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. Continued market share losses and a prolonged strategic turnaround are weighing on fundamentals, the analyst tells investors in a post-earnings note.
Jefferies
Hold
downgrade
$7
2025-12-03
Reason
Jefferies
Price Target
$7
2025-12-03
downgrade
Hold
Reason
Jefferies lowered the firm's price target on Leslie's to $3.75 from $7 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. While "encouraged" by management's initiatives to address market share losses and margin erosion, Leslie's remains a "show-me story," says the analyst, who needs to see consistent execution and a clearer turnaround trajectory before taking a more constructive view.
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