Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI Shares Sold by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,184,847 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after selling 44,966 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $24,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,121 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $117,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,553 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of LEVI opened at $23.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a PE ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.35. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $16.50 and a 1 year high of $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.11.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 176,549 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.01, for a total transaction of $3,885,843.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total transaction of $892,069.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,769.02. This represents a 29.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 578,254 shares of company stock valued at $12,966,873. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LEVI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.