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

Key Points

• Levi Strauss & Co. has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from twelve brokerages, with nine analysts assigning a buy rating and three opting for a hold rating.
• The company's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $0.22 EPS against an estimate of $0.13, along with a revenue of $1.45 billion, marking a 6.4% increase year-over-year.
• Levi Strauss announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.14 per share, reflecting a yield of 2.5% and suggesting a dividend payout ratio of 54.90%.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.4545.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LEVI shares. 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 note on Friday, July 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,584,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,872,610. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $21.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.25. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $12.17 and a 12-month high of $23.13.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 10th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 6.40% and a return on equity of 28.75%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 54.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 140.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,425 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hara Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 8,080.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 2,045 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,109 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.