Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Hits New 1-Year High at $22.40

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $22.40 and last traded at $22.27, with a volume of 1309150 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $22.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on LEVI. TheStreet upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.56.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 3rd. The blue-jean maker reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 20.68% and a net margin of 2.05%. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 8th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 154.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.23, for a total transaction of $265,375.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 187,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,980,794.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 35,415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total transaction of $708,300.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 179,430 shares in the company, valued at $3,588,600. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David A. Friedman sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.23, for a total transaction of $265,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 187,508 shares in the company, valued at $3,980,794.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 267,212 shares of company stock worth $5,437,220. Company insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,325,000. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 2,096.4% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 1,252,500 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $17,009,000 after buying an additional 1,195,475 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,625,378 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $109,584,000 after buying an additional 1,000,000 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,626,322 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $117,145,000 after acquiring an additional 610,838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at about $7,105,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.