Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Sees Large Volume Increase Following Earnings Beat

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 2,099,751 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the previous session’s volume of 2,713,688 shares. The stock last traded at $18.7550 and had previously closed at $19.51.

The blue-jean maker reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.12. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.34 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.540-1.560 EPS.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 21st will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 21st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Levi Strauss & Co. News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Levi Strauss & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Levi Strauss reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.48, well above the $0.36 analyst consensus and up from $0.34 a year earlier. Stronger margins and international and wholesale growth supported profitability. Levi Strauss & Co. Reports Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $1.54-$1.56 from $1.46-$1.52, helped partly by tariff refunds. The refund is expected to provide approximately $80 million, although most of the benefit is being reinvested in the business. Levi Strauss Raises Earnings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its Buy rating and assigned a $28 price target, implying substantial upside from the referenced trading level.
• Positive Sentiment: Levi Strauss declared a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share, or $0.64 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 3.3% at the referenced price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is investing tariff-refund proceeds in its direct-to-consumer business and an AI shopping assistant, which could support longer-term digital sales but adds execution risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue of $1.61 billion narrowly missed the $1.62 billion consensus, despite increasing 4.3% year over year. Fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of approximately $6.7 billion is below the $6.8 billion analyst estimate. Levi Strauss hikes profit guidance after tariff refunds
• Negative Sentiment: Direct-to-consumer revenue grew only 2%, with continued pressure in the U.S. This weakness, along with the sales outlook, appears to be outweighing the EPS beat and higher profit guidance for investors. Levi Strauss Reports Mixed Q3

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on LEVI. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Harmit Singh sold 98,144 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.22, for a total transaction of $2,377,047.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 98,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,391,652.34. The trade was a 49.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Essential Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 42.1% in the second quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 417,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,180 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 4,179 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the second quarter valued at $127,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 212,880.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 10,649 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 10,644 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $21.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.14. The firm has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.53, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is an apparel company best known for its Levi’s brand of denim jeans and related clothing. Its product portfolio includes jeans, tops, bottoms, jackets, footwear, accessories and other casualwear for men, women and children.

Founded in 1853 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company also owns the Dockers, Beyond Yoga and Signature by Levi Strauss & Co brands. Levi Strauss & Co sells its products through company-operated stores, e-commerce platforms, wholesale partners and other distribution channels.

The company serves customers in North America, Europe, Asia and other international markets.