First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 47,706 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP increased its Levi Strauss stake by 141.6% in the first quarter, adding 47,706 shares for a total holding of 81,396 shares valued at $1.505 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.14% of LEVI.
• Levi Strauss reported quarterly EPS of $0.28, beating estimates by $0.04, while revenue rose 8% year over year to $1.56 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.14 to $0.16 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with 12 Buy and four Hold ratings, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $27.43 versus the stock’s $24.40 opening price.

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 141.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,396 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after buying an additional 47,706 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,505,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LEVI. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $193,312,000 after acquiring an additional 342,009 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $89,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979,223 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $88,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,474 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $80,564,000 after purchasing an additional 294,053 shares during the period. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $46,034,000 after purchasing an additional 531,963 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $3,497,344.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 145,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,497,344.62. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 98,144 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 98,747 shares in the company, valued at $2,391,652.34. This trade represents a 49.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 1,296,009 shares of company stock valued at $30,227,170 over the last 90 days. 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $24.40 on Monday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $17.72 and a twelve month high of $25.70. The stock has a market cap of $9.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 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. The company's fifty day moving average is $24.09 and its 200-day moving average is $22.10.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.43.

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.

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