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

Key Points

• Analysts give LEVI a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating (11 buys, 4 holds) with an average 12‑month price target of $26.77.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently—121,767 shares were sold by EVP Harmit J. Singh and a total of 274,015 shares were sold over the last three months—while institutional ownership is high at 69.14% and some firms (AQR, UBS AM) meaningfully increased positions.
• Levi beat the quarter with EPS $0.42 vs. $0.37 and revenue of $1.74B (up 14.1% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 (annualized yield ~2.5%) payable May 6 (ex‑dividend Apr 22).

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $26.7692.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 121,767 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.52, for a total value of $2,863,959.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 148,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,498,764.64. This represents a 45.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 2,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total transaction of $44,060.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 106,818 shares in the company, valued at $2,093,632.80. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 274,015 shares of company stock worth $6,311,221. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% during 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 period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position 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 valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter worth $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 52,332 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $22.35 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $20.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $15.97 and a 12-month high of $24.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.35.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. Levi Strauss & Co.'s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 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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