Morgan Stanley Cuts Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target to $18.00

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $19.00 to $18.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on LEVI. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.30.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $17.82 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 46.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.16. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $15.16 and a 52-week high of $24.34.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 8,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $149,976.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 108,344 shares in the company, valued at $1,950,192. The trade was a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 42,745 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $824,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.7% during the third quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 21,690 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 114,442 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, 272 Capital LP bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.