Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $14.56 and last traded at $14.57, with a volume of 1053813 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LEVI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 research note on Friday, January 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 13.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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 quarterly earnings data 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. 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 transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $82,000. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at about $105,000. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.