Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Major Shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter Sells 4,338 Shares of Stock

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 4,338 shares of Levi Strauss & Co. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.00, for a total transaction of $104,112.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 4,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,112. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Levi Strauss & Co. Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE LEVI opened at $23.69 on Friday. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1 year low of $16.50 and a 1 year high of $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a fifty day moving average of $21.19 and a 200 day moving average of $21.16.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 9.52%.The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on LEVI. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.79.

Key Headlines Impacting Levi Strauss & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Levi Strauss & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Levi Strauss as a “Moderate Buy”, which suggests Wall Street still sees upside in the company despite the recent insider selling. Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: An article highlighted analyst commentary on Levi Strauss alongside other consumer cyclical stocks, but it did not appear to include any major new company-specific operational update. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Cyclical Companies: Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI), Toll Brothers (TOL) and Five Below (FIVE)
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Robert D. Haas sold 192,451 shares in a pre-arranged transaction, a large insider disposition that can pressure sentiment even if it was planned. SEC filing for Robert D. Haas sale
• Negative Sentiment: Robert D. Haas also sold an additional 5,832 shares at $24.00, reinforcing the impression of insider selling near recent highs. SEC filing for Robert D. Haas sale
• Negative Sentiment: Peter Haas Jr. Family Fund sold 4,338 shares in another 10b5-1 transaction, while Margaret E. Haas sold 2,279 shares, adding to the cluster of insider sales. SEC filing for Peter Haas Jr. Family Fund sale SEC filing for Margaret E. Haas sale

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEVI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $89,489,000 after buying an additional 3,979,223 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 123,970.4% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,163,649 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $58,496,000 after purchasing an additional 3,166,203 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Levi Strauss & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,322,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. during the first quarter worth $24,799,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $88,014,000 after buying an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. 69.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.