Analyzing Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) & J-Long Group (NASDAQ:JL)

J-Long Group (NASDAQ:JL) and Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Volatility and Risk

J-Long Group has a beta of -1.52, indicating that its stock price is 252% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Levi Strauss & Co. has a beta of 1.33, indicating that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares J-Long Group and Levi Strauss & Co.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
J-Long Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Levi Strauss & Co.	9.66%	25.79%	8.61%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

69.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for J-Long Group and Levi Strauss & Co., as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
J-Long Group	1	0	0	0	1.00
Levi Strauss & Co.	0	4	12	0	2.75

Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus target price of $27.43, suggesting a potential upside of 12.40%. Given Levi Strauss & Co.’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Levi Strauss & Co. is more favorable than J-Long Group.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares J-Long Group and Levi Strauss & Co.”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
J-Long Group	$42.23 million	0.49	$2.77 million	N/A	N/A
Levi Strauss & Co.	$6.28 billion	1.49	$578.10 million	$1.62	15.06

Levi Strauss & Co. has higher revenue and earnings than J-Long Group.

Summary

Levi Strauss & Co. beats J-Long Group on 12 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About J-Long Group

J-Long Group Limited distributes reflective and non-reflective garment trims in Asia, Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and internationally. The company offers heat transfers, fabrics, woven labels and tapes, sewing badges, piping, zipper pullers, and drawcords. It also sells through online. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.

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.