What Happened?
Shares of pool products retailer Leslie’s (NASDAQ:LESL) jumped 11.9% in the morning session after the stock continued a strong rally amid signs of a potential short squeeze. The stock had already been on a multi-day winning streak, and reports indicated that as of July 25, 2025, it had a high short sale ratio of 32.11%. A short squeeze is a market event that can occur when a heavily shorted stock's price rises, forcing short sellers to buy shares to cover their positions. This buying pressure, in turn, pushed the price even higher. The move on Monday extended a significant run for the stock, which had risen more than 51% since a pivot point on July 17, 2025. This rally also coincided with reports of a broader trend where other highly shorted consumer stocks experienced strong gains.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
Leslie’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 90 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for Leslie's and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 12 days ago when the stock gained 3.5% on the news that the company announced the appointment of a seasoned retail executive, Amy College, as its new Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer. The announcement, made after the market closed on the previous day, was seen as a positive step for the company. The hiring of a new leader to oversee both merchandising and the supply chain can signal to investors a strategic focus on improving product assortment, inventory management, and operational efficiency. These areas are critical for a specialty retailer like Leslie's to navigate a challenging consumer environment and drive profitability. The move suggests the company is actively working to strengthen its leadership team and core business functions.
Leslie's is down 71.5% since the beginning of the year, and at $0.65 per share, it is trading 81.5% below its 52-week high of $3.51 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Leslie’s shares at the IPO in October 2020 would now be looking at an investment worth $29.84.
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