AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 22,143 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 89,880 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,143 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 50,939 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,553 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,732 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of LEVI opened at $23.40 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $21.09 and a 200 day moving average of $21.14. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $16.50 and a 52-week high of $24.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total value of $892,069.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 91,522 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,769.02. This trade represents a 29.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total value of $2,863,959.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 148,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,498,764.64. The trade was a 45.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 578,254 shares of company stock worth $12,966,873 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, 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 Wednesday, April 8th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.79.

Levi Strauss & Co. 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.