Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

LEVI has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.43.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $23.62 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $17.72 and a one year high of $25.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 488,851 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total transaction of $11,786,197.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $3,497,344.62. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 145,662 shares in the company, valued at $3,497,344.62. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 1,296,009 shares of company stock valued at $30,227,170 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Essential Partners LLC increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.