Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI Stock Holdings Lifted by Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd

Key Points

• Broad Peak Investment Advisers increased its Levi Strauss stake by 66.5% in Q4 to 445,300 shares (about $9.24M), making LEVI its 15th-largest holding and representing roughly 0.11% of the company.
• Levi beat quarterly expectations, posting $0.42 EPS vs. $0.37 expected and $1.74B revenue (up 14.1% year-over-year); analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $26.77.
• Significant insider selling has occurred (281,108 shares worth ~$6.46M in the last 90 days) while institutional investors own 69.14% of the company.

Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 66.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 445,300 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after purchasing an additional 177,800 shares during the quarter. Levi Strauss & Co. comprises 1.7% of Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd owned approximately 0.11% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $9,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in the 2nd 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. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 17,721.6% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 6,594 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 6,557 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on LEVI. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $26.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total value of $873,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,012,704.17. This represents a 30.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 7,093 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.38, for a total value of $151,648.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 98,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,099,366.34. The trade was a 6.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 281,108 shares of company stock worth $6,462,869 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $22.34 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $15.32 and a 52-week high of $24.82. The stock has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $20.54 and a 200-day moving average of $21.03.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 35.67%.

Levi Strauss & Co. Profile

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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