Investors Buy Large Volume of Levi Strauss & Co. Call Options (NYSE:LEVI)

Key Points

• Levi Strauss & Co. experienced a significant surge in options trading, with 18,324 call options purchased, reflecting a 307% increase from typical daily volumes.
• Major shareholders sold a total of 200,000 shares of the stock at around $24.14 to $24.19 per share, amidst ongoing interest from hedge funds, which are increasing their holdings in the company.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, set to be paid on November 4th, with a yield of 2.6% and a payout ratio of 36.84%.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 18,324 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 307% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,501 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.14, for a total transaction of $1,207,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.19, for a total transaction of $3,628,500.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LEVI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 833 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 101.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,113 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Hara Capital LLC grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 8,080.0% during the second quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,109 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI stock traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $21.20. The stock had a trading volume of 4,047,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,928,048. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $12.17 and a twelve month high of $24.82. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.30.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 9th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.48% and a return on equity of 27.92%. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.270-1.320 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 20th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 20th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 36.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.42.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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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