Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Coverage Initiated at Barclays

Investment analysts at Barclays began coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 price target on the blue-jean maker’s stock. Barclays‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 35.59% from the stock’s current price.

LEVI has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen cut their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.89.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $17.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $14.87 and a 1-year high of $24.34.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $74,988.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 104,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,875,204. The trade was a 3.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LEVI. FMR LLC increased its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,420,007 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $205,356,000 after buying an additional 2,907,099 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,274,326 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $82,409,000 after acquiring an additional 756,926 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,083.0% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,923,206 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $37,079,000 after acquiring an additional 1,835,107 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 59.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,555,382 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $33,907,000 after acquiring an additional 579,460 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,070.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,431,518 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $27,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365,574 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co designs, markets, and sells apparels and related accessories for men, women, and children worldwide. The company offers jeans, casual and dress pants, activewears, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts, sweaters, jackets, footwear, and related accessories under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co, Denizen, and Beyond Yoga brands.