Brokerages Set Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Target Price at $26.79

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.7857.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Monday, May 4th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE LEVI opened at $24.63 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.46. The stock has a market cap of $9.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.34. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $17.72 and a 52-week high of $24.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 25.35%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 35.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $3,497,344.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 145,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,497,344.62. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,145,781.21. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,468,570 shares of company stock valued at $34,136,152. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $89,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979,223 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $58,496,000 after purchasing an additional 3,166,203 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter valued at $39,322,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the first quarter valued at $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $88,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,474 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.