Jason Gowans Sells 40,000 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total value of $873,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares in the company, valued at $2,012,704.17. This trade represents a 30.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $21.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $12.17 and a 12 month high of $24.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.49.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.20% and a return on equity of 25.08%. The firm’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.400-1.460 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Levi Strauss & Co. from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.69.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 224,636 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $4,659,000 after purchasing an additional 58,824 shares during the period. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 947,376 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $19,649,000 after purchasing an additional 2,699 shares in the last quarter. Sirios Capital Management L P lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Sirios Capital Management L P now owns 47,332 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 12,629 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 897,824 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $18,621,000 after buying an additional 5,851 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

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.