Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Major Shareholder Sells $2,113,000.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Major shareholder Robert Haas sold 100,000 shares of Levi Strauss stock at an average price of $21.13, totaling about $2.11 million. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• LEVI shares were down about 1.0% in Tuesday trading, reaching $20.76. The stock has traded between $16.50 and $24.82 over the past 52 weeks.
• Levi Strauss recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $0.42 versus $0.37 expected and revenue of $1.74 billion versus $1.65 billion expected. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, equal to a 2.7% annual yield.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) major shareholder Robert Haas sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.13, for a total value of $2,113,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of LEVI traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $20.76. 2,236,445 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,737,732. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $16.50 and a 52 week high of $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.04.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 35.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LEVI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $193,312,000 after acquiring an additional 342,009 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $89,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979,223 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $88,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $80,564,000 after acquiring an additional 294,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $46,034,000 after acquiring an additional 531,963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company's stock.

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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