Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.6923.

Several research firms have commented on LEVI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, May 4th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE LEVI opened at $22.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.43, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.35. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $24.82.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total transaction of $892,069.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,769.02. The trade was a 29.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total transaction of $2,863,959.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 148,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,498,764.64. This represents a 45.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 310,705 shares of company stock valued at $7,159,229. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 97,800 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter valued at $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter valued at $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,597,687 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $24,908,000 after purchasing an additional 52,332 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.