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

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

LEVI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

LEVI opened at $16.70 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $15.42 and a twelve month high of $24.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.77.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,875,204. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $991,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 511.8% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 127,046 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,198,000 after acquiring an additional 106,281 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 402.2% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 349,500 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $6,046,000 after purchasing an additional 279,900 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 172,801 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $2,989,000 after purchasing an additional 6,065 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Europe London LLP acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $1,034,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co engages in the design, marketing, and sale of apparel products. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, tops, shorts, skirts, jackets, footwear, and related accessories. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded by Levi Strauss in 1853 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.