Should I Buy LESL? LESL 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Leslie's Inc (LESL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

1.460

1 Day change

-5.81%

52 Week Range

46.400

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/26

Leslie's Inc (LESL) is not a good buy for a beginner investor with a long-term strategy and $50,000-$100,000 available for investment. The stock is facing significant challenges, including declining revenue, negative earnings, bearish technical indicators, and a lack of positive sentiment from analysts or trading trends. The absence of strong positive catalysts or proprietary trading signals further supports the decision to hold off on investing in this stock at the moment.

Technical Analysis

The technical indicators for LESL are bearish. The moving averages (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5) suggest a downward trend. While the MACD histogram is positive and expanding, the RSI is neutral at 54.616, offering no clear signal. The stock is trading near its pivot level of 1.696, with resistance at 1.845 and support at 1.547. Overall, the technical outlook is weak.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

The low put-call ratios indicate a lack of bearish sentiment in the options market, but the overall low trading volume and high implied volatility (177.64) suggest significant uncertainty and risk.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

NULL identified. There are no recent news events or significant positive developments in the company's financials or trading trends.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Hedge funds are aggressively selling, with a 986.28% increase in selling activity over the last quarter.
Analysts have consistently lowered price targets, citing market share losses, margin erosion, and a prolonged turnaround strategy.
The company's Q4 financials show declining revenue (-2.17% YoY) and significant net losses (-$162.8M).
No recent insider or congressional trading activity to indicate confidence in the stock.

Financial Performance

In Q4 2025, Leslie's Inc reported a revenue decline of -2.17% YoY to $389.2M. Net income improved to -$162.8M (up 1540.79% YoY), but it remains deeply negative. EPS increased to -17.54 (up 1539.25% YoY), and gross margin improved to 38.56% (up 7.11% YoY). Despite some improvements in margins, the overall financial performance remains weak.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Analysts have a neutral to bearish outlook on LESL. Multiple firms, including Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, Baird, and Mizuho, have significantly lowered their price targets (ranging from $3 to $4) and maintain neutral or hold ratings. Analysts highlight concerns about market share losses, margin erosion, and the need for consistent execution of the company's turnaround strategy.

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: 1.550

Low

Averages

3.45

High

Current: 1.550

Low

Averages

3.45

High

Morgan Stanley

Equal Weight

downgrade

AI Analysis

2025-12-10

Reason

Morgan Stanley

Price Target

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

2025-12-03

Reason

Jefferies

Price Target

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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LESL Should I Buy

LESL Should I Buy

Should You Buy Leslie's Inc (LESL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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