Nomura Holdings Inc. Sells 40,840 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. lessened its position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 54.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,700 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after selling 40,840 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,090 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $115,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:LEVI opened at $17.85 on Wednesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $12.17 and a one year high of $24.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.88.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.10. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 24th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 24th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $17.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $19.82.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.

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