Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) PT Lowered to $20.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) had its price objective reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $21.00 to $20.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the blue-jean maker’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, OTR Global started coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Friday, June 14th. They issued a positive rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $22.33.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI opened at $19.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 55.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.37. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $12.41 and a 52-week high of $24.34.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 23.21% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.04 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. This is a boost from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 137.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 16,666 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.94, for a total transaction of $398,984.04. Following the transaction, the director now owns 166,676 shares in the company, valued at $3,990,223.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 346,555 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.21, for a total transaction of $7,696,986.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 525,337 shares in the company, valued at $11,667,734.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David A. Friedman sold 16,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.94, for a total value of $398,984.04. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 166,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,990,223.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 734,882 shares of company stock worth $16,505,276 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $294,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $270,000. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $330,000. 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.