Insider Buying: Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director Purchases 500 Shares of Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Director Christopher J. Mccormick bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $22.11 per share, for a total transaction of $11,055.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 500 shares in the company, valued at $11,055. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LEVI traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $22.17. 2,055,566 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,559,945. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $19.62 and a 200 day moving average of $17.13. Levi Strauss & Co. has a one year low of $12.41 and a one year high of $22.39.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 3rd. The blue-jean maker reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a net margin of 2.05% and a return on equity of 20.68%. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 8th. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 154.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LEVI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% in the third quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 9,541 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,690 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the third quarter worth $195,000. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at $294,000. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.