Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Levi Strauss & Co. has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy", with 13 of 16 brokerages assigning buy ratings and a consensus 1-year price target of about $26.79.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $0.42 versus $0.37 expected and revenue of $1.74 billion versus $1.65 billion expected, with revenue up 14.1% year over year.
• Levi also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.4%, while insiders have been selling shares in recent months.

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.7857.

LEVI has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.0%

LEVI opened at $23.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.34. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $17.28 and a 12 month high of $24.82.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 9.52%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total transaction of $2,863,959.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 148,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,498,764.64. The trade was a 45.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total value of $892,069.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,096,769.02. The trade was a 29.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Amundi increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 73.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 18,828 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 7,963 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 25.6% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 107,325 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $1,984,000 after buying an additional 21,853 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 117.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 358,797 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $6,635,000 after buying an additional 193,607 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 7.5% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,636,734 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $30,263,000 after buying an additional 114,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 66.0% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 16,271 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 6,472 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company's stock.

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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