Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC reduced its position in shares of Leslie's, Inc. (NASDAQ:LESL – Get Rating) by 21.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 572,992 shares of the company's stock after selling 155,226 shares during the quarter. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC's holdings in Leslie's were worth $11,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Leslie's during the 1st quarter valued at about $97,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in Leslie's during the 1st quarter valued at about $155,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Leslie's during the 1st quarter valued at about $183,000. Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in Leslie's by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 10,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in shares of Leslie's by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 11,020 shares of the company's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,959 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LESL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Leslie's from $22.00 to $20.00 in a report on Monday, August 8th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of Leslie's from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group downgraded shares of Leslie's from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $28.00 to $16.00 in a report on Monday, August 8th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Leslie's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday, June 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Leslie's from $20.00 to $18.00 in a report on Monday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.22.

Leslie's Trading Up 1.6 %

Leslie's (NASDAQ:LESL – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 5th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.06). Leslie's had a negative return on equity of 49.59% and a net margin of 9.74%. The firm had revenue of $673.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $688.64 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. Leslie's's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Leslie's, Inc. will post 0.88 EPS for the current year.

Leslie's Company Profile

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Leslie's, Inc operates as a direct-to-consumer pool and spa care brand in the United States. The company markets and sells pool and spa supplies and related products and services. It offers pool chemicals consisting of chlorine, sanitizers, water balancers, specialty chemicals, and algae control; pool covers, including winter, solar and safety covers, leaf nets, cover reels, and cover alternatives; pool equipment, which comprise pool cleaners, pool pumps, pool filters, pool heating, and lighting; and pools, such as above ground pools, soft side pools, above ground pools liners and equipment, ladders and rails, and diving boards.

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