Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.4615.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LEVI shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,769.02. The trade was a 29.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total transaction of $2,863,959.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 148,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,498,764.64. This trade represents a 45.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152. 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,364,000 after acquiring an additional 97,800 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,597,687 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $24,908,000 after buying an additional 52,332 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of LEVI opened at $24.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.60. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $17.72 and a twelve month high of $25.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.74. The firm has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 25.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 34.57%.

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.