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

Key Points

• Levi Strauss & Co. received an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 16 brokerages, with 13 buy ratings and 3 hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $26.79.
• The company posted a strong recent quarter, with EPS of $0.42 versus expectations of $0.37 and revenue of $1.74 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates. Revenue also rose 14.1% year over year.
• Levi Strauss announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, or $0.56 annually, for a yield of about 2.4%. Meanwhile, institutional ownership remains high at 69.14%, even as insiders recently sold shares.

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.7857.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 176,549 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.01, for a total value of $3,885,843.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karyn Hillman sold 38,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,096,769.02. This represents a 29.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 578,254 shares of company stock valued at $12,966,873. 1.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 3,979,223 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $58,496,000 after acquiring an additional 3,166,203 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth $39,322,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter worth $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $88,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,474 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $23.40 on Thursday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $16.50 and a 1 year high of $24.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 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. The business's 50 day moving average price is $21.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.14.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.38 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

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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