Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Rating Increased to Overweight at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $17.00 price objective on the blue-jean maker’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $19.00.

A number of other analysts have also commented on LEVI. UBS Group cut their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.18.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $14.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.42. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52 week low of $12.17 and a 52 week high of $24.34. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.45. The company has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.54 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 3.32% and a return on equity of 25.88%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 24th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 100,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% during 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

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.