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

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.7857.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LEVI shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 488,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total value of $11,786,197.61. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 833 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $23.69 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.34. 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. has a 52 week low of $17.28 and a 52 week high of $24.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.40.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The business 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

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

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.