Levi Strauss & Co.’s (LEVI) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group restated their outperform rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $23.00 price target on the blue-jean maker’s stock.

LEVI has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group cut their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. 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 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

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

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. On average, sell-side 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 was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,844,221.28. This trade represents a 4.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $991,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 511.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 127,046 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 106,281 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 402.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 172,801 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $2,989,000 after buying an additional 6,065 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Europe London LLP acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $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.