Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" in a research note issued Saturday, marking a notable positive analyst move for the stock.
• Levi reported a Q1 beat-and-raise — EPS $0.42 vs. $0.37 expected and revenue $1.74B (up 14.1% year-over-year) — driven by direct-to-consumer and e‑commerce strength, and management raised near-term guidance.
• The stock has broad analyst support (11 Buy, 4 Hold) with a MarketBeat consensus target of $26.77, while institutional ownership is high and recent insider selling has been disclosed.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

LEVI has been the subject of several other reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $26.77.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

LEVI stock opened at $22.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.48, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12-month low of $13.83 and a 12-month high of $24.82. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $20.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.10.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David Jedrzejek sold 2,248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total transaction of $44,060.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 106,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,093,632.80. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jason Gowans sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $873,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,012,704.17. The trade was a 30.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 49,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,068,909. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $2,540,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,268.2% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 238,883 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $5,566,000 after acquiring an additional 228,796 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth about $2,478,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,978,738 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $209,205,000 after acquiring an additional 277,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 46.3% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 238,828 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $5,565,000 after acquiring an additional 75,623 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Levi Strauss & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Levi Strauss & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations and management raised guidance — Levi reported an EPS beat and revenue upside, driven by continued direct-to-consumer (DTC) strength and e‑commerce growth; that beat-and-raise is the primary bullish catalyst. Levi Strauss Gains as DTC Continues to Fuel Revenue Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — Needham and BTIG both issued Buy ratings, which supports upward analyst momentum and can attract inflows. Needham Buy Rating BTIG Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options flow — traders bought a large block of LEVI call options, signaling speculative bullish interest or hedging ahead of continued upside. Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in March — short positions dropped ~21.8% to ~7.99M shares (about 2.1% of float), reducing potential short-driven downside pressure and lowering a short-covering risk overhang. (data reported 3/31)
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement — Jim Cramer publicly praised CEO Michelle Gass and the company’s direction, which can boost retail investor interest and sentiment. Jim Cramer Praise
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation and investor outreach — Levi presented at the J.P. Morgan Retail Round Up forum, providing more detail on strategy and guidance but no new shock items. J.P. Morgan Presentation Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance is now a narrow range (EPS $1.420–1.480; revenue ~$6.6B–$6.7B) — the range is close to consensus but not a clear upside surprise for the full year, leaving room for mixed analyst reactions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate news and product momentum — coverage highlighting product innovation and brand revitalization under CEO Michelle Gass may support long-term growth but is incremental near-term. Vogue Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — some outlets note divergent views among analysts, which can encourage profit-taking and higher intraday volatility. Analysts' Opinions Mixed

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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