Leslie's Stock Climbs; Pentair's Weak Guidance Highlights Pool Issues

Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ: LESL ) shares are trading higher during Thursday’s session even as pool destocking pressures ripple through the pool-supply chain.

The move comes after Pentair plc. (NYSE: PNR ) cut its second quarter and FY26 guidance.

What Pentair’s Outlook Means for Leslie’s On Wednesday, Pentair said it expects preliminary second-quarter sales of about $930 million, down 17% year over year.

That falls below its previous $1.134 billion guidance and the $1.137 billion analyst estimate.

Adjusted EPS is expected at approximately $1.12, down from the prior outlook of $1.47 to $1.50 and below the $1.48 estimate.

Pentair said a larger-than-expected inventory reset by major pool channel partners is weighing results, including an estimated $250 million hit to full-year Pool segment sales and about $155 million to segment income.

A pool-channel inventory drawdown can matter for Leslie’s because it can translate into slower reorder activity and more promotional pricing as the channel works through excess product.

Read Also: Leslie's Stock Surges 130% On Revenue Beat, Traffic Gains Critical Price Levels for Leslie’s Stock From a longer-term chart perspective, Leslie’s is still in a deep downtrend over the past year (down 63.61% over 12 months), and the stock is trading well below its shorter-term trend gauges—about 64% below the 20-day SMA ($7.82) and about 48% below the 50-day SMA ($5.44).

Even after the June golden cross (50-day SMA above the 200-day SMA), price has not followed through, with shares still about 8% below the 200-day SMA ($3.06) and about 16% below the 100-day SMA ($3.37).

Momentum is also leaning cautious: MACD is below its signal line and the histogram is negative, which typically means upside pressure is fading versus the prior upswing unless buyers can reclaim that baseline.

In plain terms, MACD compares two moving averages to gauge trend momentum, and being below the signal line often shows the rally attempt is losing steam.

Key Resistance: $3.06 — near the 200-day SMA, a common "line in the sand" for trend traders Key Support: 87 cents — the 52-week low zone from February that marks the major downside reference How Leslie’s Operates in the Pool Supply Market Leslie’s is a direct-to-consumer pool and spa care brand that sells chemicals, equipment and parts, cleaning and maintenance gear, and other pool-related products and services.

It serves residential pool and spa customers as well as professional and commercial buyers through more than 1,000 company-operated locations across 39 states plus e-commerce, and it operates only in the U.S.

That business mix makes the stock sensitive to pool "aftermarket" demand and channel inventory behavior—so when a large supplier like Pentair talks about pool-partner destocking and a slower reset cycle, the market often extrapolates that retailers and service channels could see choppier near-term ordering patterns.

Leslie’s Earnings Preview for August 2026 Looking further out, the next major catalyst for the stock arrives with the August 5, 2026 (estimated) earnings report.

EPS Estimate: $4.94 (Up from $4.00 YoY) Revenue Estimate: $503.22 million (Up from $500.35 million YoY) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold rating with an average price target of $2.50.

Recent analyst moves include: Wolfe Research: Outperform (Raises Target to $3.00) (May 14) Mizuho: Neutral (Lowers Target to $3.50) (May 8) Morgan Stanley: Underweight (Lowers Target to $1.00) (Feb.

18) LESL Stock Price Movement Today LESL Stock Price Activity: Leslies shares were up 3.36% at $3.07 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Pro data.

Photo via Shutterstock