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

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

LEVI has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Finally, 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 note on Monday, February 3rd.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of LEVI opened at $16.42 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $15.62 and a one year high of $24.34. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.16.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.88% and a net margin of 3.32%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Levi Strauss & Co.

In related news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.44, for a total value of $76,821.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 100,012 shares in the company, valued at $1,844,221.28. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Levi Strauss & Co.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 36.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 200,970 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $4,381,000 after purchasing an additional 53,340 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 155.6% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 75,600 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 46,023 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 117,449 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $2,560,000 after purchasing an additional 52,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,673,000. 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.