The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Grows Position in Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its Levi Strauss stake by 7.5% in the first quarter, adding 114,749 shares to hold 1.64 million shares worth approximately $30.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.14% of the company.
• Levi Strauss exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.28 EPS and $1.56 billion in revenue, with revenue up 8% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.14 to $0.16 per share, representing a 2.6% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $27.29 versus the stock’s $24.59 opening price. However, insiders sold more than 1.33 million shares worth $31.1 million over the past three months.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,636,734 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after purchasing an additional 114,749 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.43% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $30,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 260.5% in the 3rd 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 period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 133.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,286 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE LEVI opened at $24.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.95 and a 200 day moving average of $22.00. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $17.72 and a 1 year high of $25.70. 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. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 98,144 shares of the company's 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 98,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,391,652.34. This represents a 49.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,145,781.21. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 1,334,947 shares of company stock valued at $31,119,240 in the last three months. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.29.

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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