Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) EVP Harmit J. Singh Sells 346,555 Shares

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) EVP Harmit J. Singh sold 346,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.21, for a total value of $7,696,986.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 525,337 shares in the company, valued at $11,667,734.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Levi Strauss & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE LEVI opened at $22.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $12.41 and a 1 year high of $22.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a PE ratio of 73.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 3rd. The blue-jean maker reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 20.68% and a net margin of 2.05%. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 8th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 154.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in Levi Strauss & Co. by 21.5% during the third quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 9,541 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 1,690 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $195,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $215,000. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. in the third quarter worth approximately $225,000. 69.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LEVI. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.56.

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.