Short Interest in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Drops By 17.2%

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 10,216,069 shares, a drop of 17.2% from the February 26th total of 12,332,026 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,558,564 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total value of $873,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 2,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total value of $44,060.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 106,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,093,632.80. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $193,312,000 after buying an additional 342,009 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $88,014,000 after buying an additional 1,296,474 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $80,564,000 after acquiring an additional 294,053 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $46,034,000 after acquiring an additional 531,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 83.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,958,271 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $36,208,000 after acquiring an additional 890,752 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:LEVI traded up $0.32 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.48. 3,007,200 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,353,018. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.21. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $12.17 and a 1-year high of $24.82.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LEVI shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.69.

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.