Margaret Haas Sells 50,000 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Stock

Key Points

• Margaret Haas, a major shareholder of Levi Strauss & Co., sold 50,000 shares at an average price of $24.14, totaling approximately $1.21 million.
• Levi Strauss & Co. recently reported earnings per share of $0.22 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue increase of 6.4% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, marking an increase from the previous dividend, which reflects its strong financial position.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) major shareholder Margaret Haas sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.14, for a total value of $1,207,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Up 0.1%

LEVI stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.41. 2,061,900 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,371,462. 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 capitalization of $9.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.81. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $12.17 and a 12 month high of $24.82.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Levi Strauss & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 58.7% during the 1st quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 8,738 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 3,231 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $325,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 143.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 29,479 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 17,376 shares during the period. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 53,036 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 2,240 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 101.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,210 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LEVI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.00.

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.

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