Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Levi Strauss “Moderate Buy”: Twelve of 15 analysts recommend buying the stock, while three rate it a hold. The average 12-month price target is $27.43.
• Recent results exceeded expectations: Levi reported quarterly EPS of $0.28 versus the $0.24 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8% year over year to $1.56 billion.
• The company raised its dividend: The quarterly payout increased from $0.14 to $0.16 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $0.64 and a 3.2% yield.

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.43.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LEVI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, EVP Harmit Singh sold 98,144 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 98,747 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,391,652.34. This trade represents a 49.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Essential Partners LLC increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 42.1% in the 2nd quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 417,900.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,180 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 4,179 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the second quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the second quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE LEVI opened at $19.75 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $17.72 and a 52 week high of $25.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $21.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.07. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.32.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 25.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co.'s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were paid a $0.16 dividend. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its Levi's brand of denim jeans and related clothing. Its product portfolio includes jeans, tops, jackets, footwear, accessories and other casualwear, sold through company-operated stores, digital channels, wholesale partners and distributors.

Founded in 1853 by Levi Strauss, the company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. In addition to Levi's, its brand portfolio includes Dockers, Beyond Yoga, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co and Denizen.

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