Ieq Capital LLC Buys Shares of 15,096 Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC acquired 15,096 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. for approximately $235,000 during the 1st quarter, showcasing increasing institutional interest in the company.
• Levi Strauss & Co. recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.14 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.5%, reflecting the company's positive financial performance.
• Equities analysts have raised their target prices for Levi Strauss & Co., with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $23.45, indicating optimism about the company's future growth.

Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 15,096 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 101.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,109 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter valued at about $81,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $23.45.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI traded up $0.01 on Wednesday, reaching $21.71. 1,770,342 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,467,434. Levi Strauss & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.17 and a fifty-two week high of $22.83. The company's 50 day moving average is $20.83 and its 200-day moving average is $18.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 6.40% and a return on equity of 28.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This is an increase from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.90%.

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.