Short Interest in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Expands By 81.6%

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 13,397,966 shares, a growth of 81.6% from the January 29th total of 7,377,714 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,169,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,169,086 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $873,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,704.17. The trade was a 30.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 7,093 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.38, for a total transaction of $151,648.34. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 98,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,099,366.34. The trade was a 6.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909 over the last ninety days. 1.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,540,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,268.2% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 238,883 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $5,566,000 after buying an additional 228,796 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,210,669 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $22,391,000 after buying an additional 24,728 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,478,000. Finally, Formula Growth Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the second quarter worth $874,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on LEVI shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of LEVI stock traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $22.18. 1,615,402 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,585,377. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $12.17 and a 52 week high of $24.82. The stock has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $21.33 and its 200-day moving average is $21.64.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.08% and a net margin of 9.20%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.460 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.36%.

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.