Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Position in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 29,548 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock, valued at approximately $511,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LEVI. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 21,690 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 114,442 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,980,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 11,900 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $17.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.73 and a two-hundred day simple 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.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 8,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $149,976.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 108,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,950,192. The trade was a 7.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,664 shares of company stock valued at $301,785. 3.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LEVI shares. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped 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 research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.27.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company 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.