PDT Partners LLC Buys 17,471 Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

PDT Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 96,714 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock after purchasing an additional 17,471 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC's holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. were worth $1,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $896,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 401,545 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $6,947,000 after acquiring an additional 76,084 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,916,568 shares of the blue-jean maker's stock worth $33,157,000 after acquiring an additional 669,624 shares during the last quarter. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $613,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $3,070,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

LEVI traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,035,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,477. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.94. The stock has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.17, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $12.17 and a twelve month high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.10. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. Levi Strauss & Co.'s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 24th. Levi Strauss & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.43%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on LEVI shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $17.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $19.45.

Levi Strauss & Co. 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.