Brokerages Set Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Price Target at $21.27

Shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

A number of research firms recently commented on LEVI. UBS Group lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI opened at $18.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $15.62 and a twelve month high of $24.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.73 and its 200-day moving average is $18.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.96, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total transaction of $76,821.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,664 shares of company stock worth $301,785. 3.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 678.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

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.