Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. Reduces Holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Key Points

• Savoir Faire Capital cut its stake in Levi Strauss by 63.6% in Q4, selling 120,038 shares and leaving 68,680 shares worth about $1.424 million.
• Company insiders sold heavily over the last quarter — a total of 274,015 shares valued at $6.31 million (insiders now own 1.08% of the stock), including EVP Jason Gowans' 40,000‑share sale.
• Levi posted an EPS beat ($0.42 vs. $0.37) and 14.1% revenue growth to $1.74 billion; analysts hold a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $26.77.

Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. lessened its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 63.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,680 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after selling 120,038 shares during the quarter. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% in 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 period. US Bancorp DE raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 810 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in 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 valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at $117,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 17,721.6% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 6,594 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 6,557 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, 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. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.77.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 2,248 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total value of $44,060.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 106,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,093,632.80. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $873,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,704.17. The trade was a 30.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 274,015 shares of company stock valued at $6,311,221. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $22.34 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $15.79 and a twelve month high of $24.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.23, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.34.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 9.52%.The firm 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 company earned $0.38 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.'s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Company 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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