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

Key Points

• Levi Strauss has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from 16 analysts, including 12 buy ratings and four holds. The average 12-month price target is $27.43, above the reported $23.62 opening price.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $0.28 per share and revenue of $1.56 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue increased 8% year over year. Levi also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.16, implying a 2.7% annualized yield.
• Insiders sold approximately $30.2 million of stock over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 69.14% of the company. Shares were recently down 3.2%, with the stock trading between $17.72 and $25.70 over the past year.

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.4286.

A number of equities analysts have commented on LEVI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 98,144 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.22, for a total value of $2,377,047.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 98,747 shares in the company, valued at $2,391,652.34. This trade represents a 49.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,145,781.21. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,296,009 shares of company stock worth $30,227,170. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake 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 worth $89,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,979,223 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $58,496,000 after buying an additional 3,166,203 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the second quarter worth about $60,854,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during 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 buying an additional 1,296,474 shares during the period. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $23.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $17.72 and a 12-month high of $25.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.12.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.66% and a return on equity of 25.79%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd were given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 22nd. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

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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