Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 342,009 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. $LEVI

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 342,009 shares and bringing its total holding to 9.32 million shares worth about $193.3 million.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including EVP Karyn Hillman and EVP Jason Gowans, with insiders collectively selling 310,705 shares over the last three months.
• Levi Strauss beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.42 EPS on $1.74 billion in revenue, while analysts remain generally bullish with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a $26.69 price target.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after purchasing an additional 342,009 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 2.38% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $193,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 97,800 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter worth about $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew 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 purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter worth about $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,597,687 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $24,908,000 after purchasing an additional 52,332 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total value of $892,069.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,096,769.02. This represents a 29.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction 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 approximately $2,012,704.17. This trade represents a 30.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 310,705 shares of company stock valued at $7,159,229 over the last three months. 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.69.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:LEVI opened at $22.66 on Monday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $16.50 and a 1-year high of $24.82. The company has a 50-day moving average of $20.59 and a 200 day moving average of $21.02. The firm has a market cap of $8.71 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 35.67%.

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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