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

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.38.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LEVI shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. OTR Global started coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Friday, June 14th. They issued a “positive” rating on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

NYSE LEVI opened at $18.98 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $12.41 and a 12-month high of $24.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $19.47 and its 200-day moving average is $19.96. The company has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 54.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 23.21% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.04 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. This is an increase from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 148.57%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.23, for a total value of $75,946.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 158,344 shares in the company, valued at $2,886,611.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, major shareholder Bradley J. Haas sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.05, for a total value of $2,405,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.23, for a total transaction of $75,946.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 158,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,886,611.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 124,998 shares of company stock valued at $2,960,626. 3.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,083.0% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,923,206 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $37,079,000 after purchasing an additional 1,835,107 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,070.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,431,518 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $27,600,000 after buying an additional 1,365,574 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 6,794.9% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,244,873 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $24,001,000 after buying an additional 1,226,818 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,625,378 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $109,584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,274,326 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $82,409,000 after acquiring an additional 756,926 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.