Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered Levi Strauss & Co. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.42.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE LEVI opened at $22.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $21.33 and its 200 day moving average is $20.84. Levi Strauss & Co. has a twelve month low of $12.17 and a twelve month high of $24.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 9th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 27.92% and a net margin of 9.48%.The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.270-1.320 EPS. Research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Tuesday, November 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 20th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 20th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Levi Strauss & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 36.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.19, for a total transaction of $3,628,500.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.14, for a total transaction of $1,207,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Levi Strauss & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Paragon Capital Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Levi Strauss & Co. during the second quarter valued at $257,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,210,669 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $22,391,000 after purchasing an additional 24,728 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 37.7% during the 2nd quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 1,420,596 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $26,267,000 after purchasing an additional 389,176 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,259,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 49.9% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 61,000 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 20,300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Levi Strauss & Co. Company Profile

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.