Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI Shares Bought by Engineers Gate Manager LP

Key Points

• Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its Levi Strauss stake by 74.3% in the second quarter, acquiring 345,855 additional shares for a total of 811,600 shares valued at approximately $20.2 million.
• Levi Strauss reported quarterly EPS of $0.28 and revenue of $1.56 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue rose 8% year over year. The company also increased its quarterly dividend from $0.14 to $0.16 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 12 Buy ratings and four Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $27.43 versus the stock’s reported $20.36 opening price.

Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 74.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 811,600 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after buying an additional 345,855 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP owned 0.21% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $20,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in the third 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 Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased 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 acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Essential Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, EVP Harmit Singh sold 98,144 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was 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 owned 98,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,391,652.34. This trade represents a 49.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LEVI. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.43.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE LEVI opened at $20.36 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $17.72 and a 12 month high of $25.70. The company's fifty day moving average price is $23.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.17.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

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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