Analysts Set Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) PT at $21.27

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

LEVI stock opened at $17.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.75 and a 200-day moving average of $18.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 12 month low of $15.62 and a 12 month high of $24.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 8,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $149,976.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 108,344 shares in the company, valued at $1,950,192. This trade represents a 7.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 16,664 shares of company stock valued at $301,785 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,904.1% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 5,137 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co boosted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 5,507 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. 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.