Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) Competitors

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) and Kontoor Brands (NYSE:KTB) are both mid-cap apparel companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, media sentiment, profitability and earnings.

Is LEVI or KTB a better dividend stock?

Levi Strauss & Co. pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Kontoor Brands pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Levi Strauss & Co. pays out 54.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Kontoor Brands pays out 46.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Levi Strauss & Co. has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Kontoor Brands has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Kontoor Brands is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Does the media refer more to LEVI or KTB?

In the previous week, Levi Strauss & Co. had 8 more articles in the media than Kontoor Brands. MarketBeat recorded 18 mentions for Levi Strauss & Co. and 10 mentions for Kontoor Brands. Kontoor Brands' average media sentiment score of 1.42 beat Levi Strauss & Co.'s score of 0.93 indicating that Kontoor Brands is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Levi Strauss & Co.	10 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Kontoor Brands	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings and valuation, LEVI or KTB?

Kontoor Brands has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Levi Strauss & Co.. Kontoor Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Levi Strauss & Co., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Levi Strauss & Co.	$6.36B	1.40	$210.60M	$1.02	22.08
Kontoor Brands	$2.61B	1.66	$245.80M	$4.48	17.37

Is LEVI or KTB more profitable?

Kontoor Brands has a net margin of 9.48% compared to Levi Strauss & Co.'s net margin of 6.40%. Kontoor Brands' return on equity of 68.76% beat Levi Strauss & Co.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Levi Strauss & Co.	6.40%	28.75%	9.03%
Kontoor Brands	9.48%	68.76%	15.02%

Which has more volatility and risk, LEVI or KTB?

Levi Strauss & Co. has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kontoor Brands has a beta of 1.1, suggesting that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in LEVI or KTB?

69.1% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.1% of Kontoor Brands shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Levi Strauss & Co. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Kontoor Brands shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts recommend LEVI or KTB?

Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus price target of $23.45, indicating a potential upside of 4.13%. Kontoor Brands has a consensus price target of $89.67, indicating a potential upside of 15.21%. Given Kontoor Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Kontoor Brands is more favorable than Levi Strauss & Co..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Levi Strauss & Co.	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.82
Kontoor Brands	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83

Summary

Kontoor Brands beats Levi Strauss & Co. on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.