Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on LEVI. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.43.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $22.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $17.72 and a 52-week high of $25.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.16.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. Research analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $3,497,344.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 145,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,497,344.62. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 98,144 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.22, for a total value of $2,377,047.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,747 shares in the company, valued at $2,391,652.34. This trade represents a 49.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 1,196,009 shares of company stock valued at $28,114,170 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in 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. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 42.1% during the second quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.