Needham & Company LLC Reaffirms "Buy" Rating for Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Key Points

• Needham & Company LLC reiterated its "Buy" rating on Levi Strauss & Co. and kept a $28 price target, implying about 14.85% upside from the current share price.
• Levi Strauss recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $0.28 EPS on $1.56 billion in sales, with revenue up 8% year over year. The company also raised FY 2026 guidance to 1.460-1.520 EPS.
• Despite the positive outlook, the stock was down 1.1% to $24.38, while insider selling and analyst caution around guidance appear to be factors investors are watching.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $28.00 price objective on the blue-jean maker's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price target would suggest a potential upside of 14.85% from the stock's current price.

LEVI has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Levi Strauss & Co. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $27.21.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 1.1%

LEVI stock opened at $24.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.38 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.05 and a 200-day moving average of $21.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $17.72 and a one year high of $25.58.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.22 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 488,851 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total value of $11,786,197.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $3,497,344.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 145,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,497,344.62. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 181.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 151,645 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock valued at $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 97,800 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter worth $224,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,879 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter valued at about $241,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 52,332 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Levi Strauss & Co.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Levi Strauss beat Q2 estimates on both revenue and earnings, with sales up 8% year over year and direct-to-consumer sales growing strongly, showing healthy demand for the brand. Levi Strauss & Co. Reports Second-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year guidance again and increased its quarterly dividend, signaling management confidence in the business outlook. Levi Strauss beats quarterly expectations, raises guidance and dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Levi’s ongoing shift toward a DTC-first model and changes to its distribution network may improve efficiency over time, but the near-term impact is still unfolding. Levi Strauss Raises Guidance Again
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, investors were disappointed by the company’s cautious earnings outlook, which appears to be weighing on the stock. Levi’s stock falls 5% despite Q2 beat as full-year earnings guidance disappoints

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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