Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Receives $26.79 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.7857.

LEVI has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 192,451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.68, for a total transaction of $4,364,788.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total value of $2,863,959.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 148,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,498,764.64. This trade represents a 45.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 783,154 shares of company stock worth $17,630,460 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $89,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,979,223 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $58,496,000 after purchasing an additional 3,166,203 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,322,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $88,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to rate Levi Strauss as a “Moderate Buy”, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside potential, with a consensus target price above the current share price. Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Levi Strauss’ direct-to-consumer growth as a key driver of revenue expansion, reinforcing the company’s fundamental momentum. Levi Strauss Gains as DTC Continues to Fuel Revenue Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Levi Strauss recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings and revenue both topping estimates, which continues to support the stock’s longer-term valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 192,451 shares in a pre-arranged transaction, a sizable insider sale that can dampen investor sentiment. SEC filing for Robert D. Haas sale
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider selling by Peter Haas Jr. Family Fund and Margaret E. Haas added to concerns about insider confidence, even though the trades were made under 10b5-1 plans. SEC filing for Peter Haas Jr. Family Fund sale SEC filing for Margaret E. Haas sale

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

LEVI opened at $23.24 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.17. The company has a market capitalization of $8.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 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 current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

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

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.