Pier Capital LLC Boosts Stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI)

Pier Capital LLC lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) by 53.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 558,973 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 195,449 shares during the period. Levi Strauss & Co. accounts for 1.4% of Pier Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Pier Capital LLC owned 0.14% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $9,670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 114,442 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 54,151 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $937,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co lifted its position 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 valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Levi Strauss & Co.

In other Levi Strauss & Co. news, Director David A. Friedman sold 4,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of LEVI stock opened at $16.03 on Tuesday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 52-week low of $15.45 and a 52-week high of $24.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $6.35 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.92.

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

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $24.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.27.

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.